Pendulum
by TheBaeTide
Summary: Michonne Robinson devotes her time to helping others, until she is thrown into a predicament that forces her to focus on fewer, more important people, with Rick Grimes being one of them. Together they must figure out how to navigate their new life together. AU. Michonne Rick.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here's some more drama. Enjoy!

Chapter One:

"...I'm pleased to tell you both that you are having a little girl! And from the looks of things she's doing just fine in there, so congratulations!"

Michonne couldn't tear her teary eyes away from the monitor, even if she wanted to. She was, after all, looking at an image of her baby girl. She believed that she had already accepted that she was carrying a child, but it all became so real in that moment. She would have lain there all day if she wasn't forced to leave the ultrasound facility. She was in pure bliss.

"...Are you okay?"

The deep southern voice pulled her attentions away from the sonogram picture she held, and she was quickly reminded that she wasn't the only one affected by the news.

"Fine", She nodded hurriedly, tucking the picture into her purse as the strolled out the building and into the parking lot. She glanced up at him, "What about you?"

"I'm feeling good", His piercing blue eyes were cast downward, watching his boots as they walked. Michonne was quickly learning that the man beside her always knew the right thing to say, but he never appeared false or disingenuous. His replies were usually short and sweet, but still managed to tell her exactly what he was feeling, "I thought it might be a girl… I wasn't sure why, I just did"

She slowly nodded as she looked at his truck, smoothing the white sundress she wore over her stomach, "Well, you were right"

He stopped, eyes squinting at her as his bit his lip for a second, "I guess we can start thinking about names? Maybe go shopping again… pick up a few more thangs…"

Michonne stopped by the bed of his truck and turned to face him, "...Yeah. Sure."

He nodded enthusiastically, his dark brown curls at his nape bouncing in agreement, "Alright… so uh, how did that job interview go?"

"Good. I got the job. I can start as soon as the next semester"

His eyebrows sprung up in surprise, pushing the sleeves of his denim shirt further up his forearm, "Oh?... how's that going to work-"

"I'll figure it out.", She replied easily.

Ricks eyebrows remained up high in his forehead as he pretended to understand, "...Right."

She only stared at him for a moment more before beginning to step away, "So I'll call You when-"

"Uh, hold on", He called eagerly, placing a hand out to stop her, "I wanted to ask you about somethan'..."

Michonne did stop, but with narrowed eyes, "What is it?"

He hesitated, "...My parents. They'd like to meet you. You and your family. Maybe have you over for dinner or somethan'?"

She raised a neatly plucked eyebrow at him, "Is that so?"

"Yeah", He pursed his lips together as he watched her closely.

"...Well, that sounds nice but I don't think-"

"This hasn't been easy for them, Michonne. I don't think it's been easy for anyone around us to accept… or understand", He announced with a hint of firmness to his tone, "They're about to be grandparents again and they would like to be just as involved as they are with Carl-"

"They will be. I'm sure that you'll make sure of that", She pointed out, crossing her lean arms over her chest.

"They would like to meet the mother of their grandchild before she's born", He used one of his hands to motion towards her rounded stomach, "I know we didn't start things off on the right foot, but it doesn't mean we can't make this work-"

"We are making it work", She ejected dryly, "We agreed that we'd talk at least once a week, and that you'd be the first person I called if anything happens-"

"Michonne.", He breathed out her name as he pinched his nose bridge between his thumb and index finger, obviously growing irritated but trying to remain calm.

She continued as if she didn't hear him, "We've done the prenatal classes, the shopping trips, what else is there-"

"You still haven't moved out here", He dropped his hand from his face, "You said you would?"

"And I will, but I haven't seen anything that I've liked yet"

"You know my offer still stands? You could move in with me", He stressed with a frown as he stepped closer to her, "At least until you find a place of your own. Thangs will get a little harder to do towards the end and when the baby gets here"

She internally recoiled, "The baby isn't here yet. I have at least a month left before things will start get a little difficult to manage, but I will figure it out before then"

He exhaled through his nose as he looked away from her, "I get what you're doing, and I get why you're doing it but it doesn't have to be this way Michonne"

She eyed him for a few moments before sighing, feeling compelled to speak up, "I don't want us to complicate things any more than we already have, Rick. This whole thing is just… one big mess, but we agreed we'd figure it out. And we will"

His gaze fell to his boots again as he gave a half-hearted nod of his head, "Yeah. Got it."

Michonne huffed quietly as she began to take pigeon steps away, "...I'll talk to my parents… but I'm not promising anything"

He lifted his head to look at her, "Yeah?"

"I said I'm not promising anything", She repeated as she set her sights on her own vehicle, "I'll call if anything changes"

"Alright… Well let me know if you find a place around here. I can check it out… save you the drive"

"Okay".

In spite of being an adult woman, the thought of meeting Rick's parents made Michonne feel like a teenager entertaining the idea of meeting her high school sweetheart's parents. Accept, he wasn't her high school sweetheart, and far from being her boyfriend.

The night she met Rick was a wild one to say the least. She had set out to party the night away, while he was out with his friends for some special occasion that she didn't care to remember. She was a drink away from seeing double when he caught her eye, and she was grateful that he did.

She thought of him as unfairly handsome, and after watching him for a short time she could see that he wasn't the type of man that frequented to bars in Atlanta often. That could have been the reason that she pounced on him, or it could have been the way he looked at her with lust filled eyes that awakened every nerve in her body, she wasn't sure. All she did know was that she woke up the next morning in a hotel room, naked, sore from the waist down and with a crippling headache.

She left in haste before he woke up, not wishing to endure the awkward moment that would have proceeded if she stayed. She was certain that their night together had been a magical one, and she would have kept in contact with him if she felt she had the time to entertain a man at that point in her life, but she didn't feel as if she could. Between her role as a high school counsellor and her volunteering, she barely had time for herself, let alone anyone else. Helping others was all she cared about, and though she would often face teasing from her friends and family, she wouldn't have it any other way. Until she discovered that she was pregnant, of course.

"He said his parents would like to meet me", Michonne groaned as she spoke at her phone while in her car, driving along the highway back to Atlanta, "I said I'd think about it…"

Her friend snorted in response, "Well of course they want to meet you! What did you expect?"

"I don't know, Sasha… I haven't been thinking straight lately", She admitted, "I mean of course they'd want to meet me, it makes perfect sense but I guess I was hoping they would be completely laid back about it like my mom and dad"

"Sadly we don't all have hippy parents like yours", Sasha sniggered, "I'm a grown woman but I know for a fact that my dad and Ty' would freak out if I got pregnant from a one night-"

Michonne released another, more dramatic groan, "I know, I know"

"Especially if I was still married to someone else-"

"Okay, Sasha!", Michonne called out in a flat tone, "I'm very aware of the unfortunate details surrounding my daughter's conception"

"Aww", Sasha cooed, "I need to get used to hearing you say that. 'Your daughter'. My little niece… how was Rick when he found out?"

"I don't know, fine? I guess", Michonne blew out a breath, "He said he knew it was a girl or something"

"You need to start paying attention to him…"

"I do pay attention to him. We're on the same page about everything but it's like we're on two separate paragraphs"

"Well he's a good ol' country boy, that's probably why"

"Sure", Michonne broke her attention from the road ahead of her to roll her eyes, "Anyway, are you coming over for dinner later?"

"I can't, I haven't finished this dress yet. I still have to fix the lining"

"Oh yeah, how's that going?"

"Its… it's a nightmare, but I won't give up"

"That's the spirit", She huffed, "Alright. I'll let you get on with it. Call me if you need anything- I still have that sewing kit that no one bought from the cake sale. And don't forget to come by next Friday! The kids have been working really hard on this fair so I need a lot of people to turn up-"

"I know, I know. I'll be there", Her friend began to snicker, "By the way, it's never too late for me to make you a dress for a shotgun wedding-"

"Goodbye, Sasha!".

One thing Michonne was grateful for while starting this new chapter in her life was her parents. While she wouldn't necessarily call them 'hippies', they did have a very blasé approach to just about anything. Her father had always encouraged her to focus on the positives, while her stepmother would drive the message home with a short tale about how best to overcome life's obstacles with a smile.

If was probably why she wasn't completely flawed to learn the news of her pregnancy. She had hoped to become a mother at one stage in her life, and while it was sooner that she had planned, and it was with a man she barely knew, she couldn't see herself not going through with the pregnancy.

Luckily for her, Rick appeared to feel the same way too, once she had managed to find him. It only took a small sum of cash and some heavy persuasion in order for her to retrieve his details from a young man that worked in the hotel office, and with that she tracked him down to the small town of Kings County.

It was unlike anywhere else she had ever been. Every building was well kept with red brick sidewalks paved throughout, with white picket fences and immaculate lawns and gardens wherever she turned. In hindsight, she could see why Rick was the man that he was; King's County was a family oriented, tight knit community with strict morals and values that had well and truly rubbed off on him. It could explain why she felt the way she did towards the thought of meeting his parents.

When she arrived back to her tiny apartment in the city, she immediately kicked off her boots and yanked off her bra from beneath her dress, then headed for her couch. Having decided to move to Kings County to be closer to Rick, she was glad to leave the place she had called a home for the last year. After splitting up with the man she thought was the love of her life, she wanted to get as far away from him as possible so took the first thing she could afford, and even though she tried her best to make it feel more homely, it was never the case, nor did it match up to the home she left behind.

Which is why she was willing to move. Not only would she be able to co-parent with Rick more efficiently, but she'd be even further away from her soon to be ex-husband, and she could have a fresh start elsewhere. She knew she would miss her friends and family, as well as the people she worked with, but she was certain that the move was vital.

Not surprisingly, some the students she worked with didn't see it that way, "Are you gonna' come back and visit me at least? How will I see the baby? You're not on Facebook or anything!"

Michonne tilted her head at the teenager say across from her. It was a Monday afternoon, and she was back in her office at the local high school, being quizzed relentlessly by one of her regular visitors, "Sadly I do not have Facebook Enid, but I will come back and visit you as often as I can. I won't be that faraway"

"Are you gonna' be working at a school there, too?"

"I will do, after the baby gets here"

"Is it a boy or a girl?", The girl sat forward eagerly, her long dark hair flowing with every move she made, "Do you know yet? Are you going to have a gender reveal party?"

Michonne frowned at her, "A what party?"

"A gender reveal party! It's when you tell everyone what you're having!"

"Oh… I don't think I'll be doing that Enid-"

"Can we have one for you? Please? And a leaving party, too! We can have it in the park-"

"Enid", Michonne held up a hand to stop her, "That's not-"

"It is necessary! Besides, you're always doing things for other people and we will miss you when you go so can we please? Please?", The girls eyes pleaded with her as she edged even further off her seat, "You won't have to do a thing- my aunt's a party planner- remember?"

Michonne's heart began to melt as she saw the excitement bubbling within the girl, "I do remember and that Is really sweet of you, but I-"

"I'll tell my mom!", Enid hopped out of her seat and bolted towards the door, "She'll give my aunt a call!"

"Enid! You knew I was going to say no!", Michonne yelled after her, "Get back here!"

"No!", Enid snatched the door open and slipped out the room with lightning speed.

Michonne growled as placed both arms on her desk and dropped her head onto her forearms. Her dreadlocks fell around her, the silver clips strategically placed in her hair making little clicking sounds as they hit the wood. She was feeling uncharacteristically tired when the day was barely over, but she put it down to the pregnancy. A little power nap would help her combat the remaining work hours, but unfortunately for her she was usually a very busy woman.

"Mrs Robinson speaking", She answered cheerfully as she sat up off her desk and placed her phone by her ear, "How can I help?"

"Well I've got good news and I've got bad news"

Michonne's eyes widened, "What's the good news, Andrea?"

Her attorney and friend sighed, "Well… there isn't actually any good news… in fact, I don't even know why I said that? Anyway- Mike is requesting for you both to go through mediation-"

Michonne's face contorted in horror, "What?"

"I know, I know. He's pulling out all the stops to slow this down- which is why I think we need to file for a default. It's obvious what he's doing, but if we let the judge know that you're pregnant and eager to start your life with someone new…"

"That's not true, Andrea-"

"I know it's not", Andrea hurriedly added, "But it could speed things up if it appears that way, and it might even get him to back off"

Michonne rolled her eyes shut as she sat back in her seat, "Or make things worse"

"He'll get the message", Andrea sighed, "So I'll go ahead and tell them that we're declining mediation, and then I'll get started on the request for default?"

"Yeah...Seems like that's our only option here", Michonne looked up at the ceiling with contempt.

"Alright, leave it to me...How are things, anyway? Is the pregnancy kicking your ass yet?"

"It's starting to", She smirked, rolling her head down to look at her bump, "Rick booked me a 3D ultrasound over the weekend. We found out what we're having"

Andrea squealed with delight, "Tell me! It's a boy, isn't it?"

"It's a…", Michonne stopped herself, then sighed, "I don't think I can tell you yet"

"What? Why?"

She cringed, "One of the students wants to throw me a gender reveal and leaving party…"

"A gender reveal party? What the hell even is that?"

"I guess it's like a baby shower, but instead I reveal to everyone what I'm having…"

Andrea remained silent for a short moment, before admitting in a strange tone, "...I actually like the sound of that? It's… kind of cute… Am I going crazy?"

"No. You've been crazy for some time now.", Michonne answered easily, leading the two woman to cackle heartily together, "It's not a terrible idea, it's just I don't want to have to explain to everyone that Mike isn't the father"

"You should be screaming that from the rooftops! Mike was an unfaithful liar, and you've moved on with your life", Andrea protested fiercely, "I mean you've really moved on with your life-"

"How subtle of you", Michonne chilled sarcastically, "But I'd still have to explain who the father is"

"Well if you really are going ahead with it then just invite Mr Kings County along. I'm sure he'd love to be there"

Something within Michonne twisted and turned in discomfort, "I don't think so. We're trying not to-"

"Complicate things", Andrea finished her sentence for her, "Yeah, in case you haven't noticed things are already complicated so save that excuse for someone who doesn't know you. He's obviously not going anywhere so you need to get used to having him around"

Michonne sighed quietly, "I know…"

She did know that she needed to get used to the thought of having Rick around, but for reasons she couldn't explain, she felt uncomfortable with the idea. She wondered if it was down to the slight shame she felt for their thoughtless behaviour that led to her pregnancy, or if it was because she didn't want him to feel obligated to be with her because she was carrying his child. Whatever the reason was, she felt it were best to keep him at arm's length.

Rick had made it clear to her that he saw things differently, and even though they both agreed that they would speak at least once a week, he would call her mostly every night, and that night would be no different, "How's thangs?"

"Fine", She huffed, lying in her bed with her favourite novel beside her, "Not much is happening over here… what about you? How are things?"

"I can't complain. I've got Carl for the week and he's keeping me on my toes"

She smirked, "That's great"

"Yeah…", She heard Rick slowly inhale, "I plan to talk to him about everythan' soon"

Michonne's eyebrows sprung up, "Really?"

"Yeah. I don't wanna' just spring it up on him when she gets here… I want him to meet you, so it doesn't seem strange that he all of a sudden has a little sister"

Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest, but she did her best to reply coolly, "I understand. It makes sense…But what about his mother?"

"Well I still have to talk to her too, but it shouldn't be a problem"

"...Okay. Sounds like you have everything planned out on your side"

"Yeah, I'm trying… You won't have anythan' to worry about when you get here, if that's somethan' that's on your mind?"

"No? What makes you think that?", She insisted weakly, tucking a long black dress behind her ear.

"I'm just saying… It's not easy moving somewhere new, especially when you're pregnant. That's a lot of change to get used to but I'll be there… and I wouldn't have you around anyone that I didn't trust"

Michonne felt her cheeks warm, "Uh… thanks, but I'm sure it will be fine"

"Yeah, I'll make sure of that"

She crossed her legs beneath her jet black, silk sheets, quickly trying to think of something else to say, "Okay, well, I just have a few things left to tie up here-'

"How about your… divorce? You haven't really said anythan' about that for a while..."

She involuntarily groaned at the thought of her husband, "Yeah, that. I'm still in the middle of that… not much has changed."

"...Well If you ever wanna' talk about it then… you know where to find me"

"...Thanks, but it's okay… I've got it", She glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand, "Um, I need to get some rest… I all of a sudden can't stay awake for too long"

"Alright, I'll call you tomorrow"

She wouldn't have expected anything else, "Okay. Goodnight"

"Night, Michonne".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"...He left it in the trunk, I figured you'd need it for this weekend"

Rick took the small fishing rod from his ex-wife and leaned it against his desk, "Yeah, thanks for dropping it off"

Lori gave him a little nod, leading her dark bangs to fall forward, "No problem. I'll give him a call tonight before bed"

He slowly inhaled through his nose, about to nod in agreement but he had so much more to say, "Do you have a minute to talk?"

Her eyebrows rose with curiosity, "Um, sure. Go ahead"

Rick tipped his head towards the chairs that were placed on the other side of his desk, "You might wanna' take a seat"

Her eyebrows quickly fell to a straight line as she narrows her eyes at him, "What is it Rick? Did something happen? Is Carl okay?"

"He's fine", He insisted with a serious nod, "This isn't- it's got somethan' to do with him but it's… it's just best you have a seat"

Lori only looked a little relieved as she did as he asked and took a seat, but he could see she was trying to figure out what he wanted to discuss. She crossed one leg over the other beneath her floral dress and clasped her hands together, "Go on?"

Rick plopped himself down in his tall, leather chair and placed both arms on the desk, mimicking her as he clasped his hands also. He didn't think he'd break the news about Michonne to her while he was on duty at the police department, but it seemed like the perfect time to tell her face to face, "I don't know how else to put this so I'm just gonna' tell you what happened from the beginning; Do you remember when I went into Atlanta for Leon's bachelor party? A few months ago?"

Lori squinted at him, "I remember you mentioning it…"

"Yeah, well that's what we did. We went up there and we went out to eat and we went to a bar… where I met someone, a woman", Rick cleared his throat quietly, "And we hit it off but we didn't get a chance to exchange numbers or anythan' at the time... But she uh, she got in touch about a month ago… and she came here and told me that she was pregnant…"

Lori's eyes widened at a snail's pace as his news sank in. Her mouth hung open but she didn't immediately offer a response, instead she stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

"...I know what you're thinking", Rick continued with a sigh, "...We obviously didn't practise good judgement that night. We had both been drinking and we were careless but… we've decided that we're gonna' handle this the best way we can...This isn't somethan' that either of us have had to deal with before, which is why I want to have everythan' out in the open and I'm telling the people that it will effect now-"

"Carl? Have you told Carl?", Lori suddenly sprang to life as she questioned him eagerly, "Does he know?"

"No", Rick shook his head as he shot down the question with a serious tone, "I haven't spoken to him yet. I was hoping that we could have that talk with him together"

His ex-wife's eyes nudged again, "How on earth do you plan to explain that to him? Rick- you got a stranger from a bar pregnant! This woman will be the mother of his sibling and he knows nothing about her- you know nothing about her!"

Rick raked his fingers through his hair as he sat back in his chair, "She's moving out here. She already got offered a job at the middle school- she's a counsellor"

Lori returned to staring at him strangely, "...I can't believe this"

"I'd appreciate it if you can be there when I do finally tell Carl. I don't want him to feel as having a sister is a bad thang-"

"A sister? It's a girl? You found that out already?", Her eyebrows finally began to creep back to their usual position.

"Yeah. It's a girl", Rick confirmed proudly.

Lori slowly nodded as her gaze sailed away from him, uttering quietly, "I certainly wasn't expecting this…"

Rick almost scoffed with disbelief, "I can't say that I was, but she's gonna' be here soon so I want everythan' ready for her"

Her gaze found his again, and after watching him closely for a minute she sighed with slouched shoulders, "Well I guess I should say congratulations… you always wanted to have one of each… boy and a girl. Certainly not like this but still, a child is a blessing regardless"

It was true. He had made it no secret that he wanted a daughter too, shortly after having Carl. A smile appeared on his face as he peered down at his hands, "Yeah, thanks"

"And she knows about Carl?"

"She does. That's one of the reasons that we agreed that she'd move here", He explained softly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"So I take it she hasn't got any kids of her own?"

"Nah, this is her first."

Lori huffed tiredly, "...So when do we meet her?"

Rick inhaled sharper than he had planned, "Uh, well we're trying to set somethan' up with everyone there… her family too"

"That should be… something", She retorted dryly, "But at least you're taking it well. I don't have any doubts that you'll be a great father, I just hope that you remember how the two of you got into this when things get tough… because you know they will, especially since this is her first child-"

"I'm aware of that-"

"Doesn't help that she's moving out here on her own, and you know how people here can be", Lori raised her eyebrows as she looked at him knowingly, "This won't be easy for either of you-"

"I've taken that all into consideration", Rick insisted with a frown, "And I'm letting her know that I'm here for her at every chance I get"

"I have no problem believing that", Lori scoffed lightly as she rose from her seat, "Well just give me a call when you're ready to talk to Carl. I don't know how much help I'll be but I'll be there"

"Thanks", Rick watched her set the strap of her purse on her shoulder as she stepped away from the chair, feeling relieved to have her one board. He needed her to be, for their sons' sake.

The last thing he wanted was for Carl to feel as if their family was being divided in anyway, which is partly why he offered for Michonne to stay with him once they agreed that she would move to Kings County, that way Carl could be familiar with her before their daughter's arrival.

However, the slight grimace that appeared on Michonne's face when he did make the offer told him that wouldn't be the case. While he could understand her reservations, he sensed something else behind the barrier she had put between them.

When she turned up at his office five months after their first encounter she was the complete opposite of the woman he had met at the bar. He could see that she was nervous and possibly, even ashamed. The news of her pregnancy was quickly followed by a small speech about how little she expected from him, leading Rick to believe that she had already made up her mind that she would continue their child on her own if she had to.

That didn't sit well with him, not only because he would never allow such a thing to happen, but because she would think that of him in the first place. Even though she didn't know him well enough to think otherwise, he would have hoped he gave her a good impression the first time they met.

He could still remember chunks of their night together, even though he had drank a little more than he usually would. He remembered the way she approached him, wearing a black, slim dress that showed off her toned shoulders and arms. He was sure her skin was covered in glitter because she appeared to glisten under every light. It was her smile that captivated most though; her eyes would sparkle when she exposed her pearly white teeth to him, framed with a set of full, luscious lips that he was lucky enough to kiss just once. Everything about her was mesmerising, and he would have felt much better about their tryst if he hadn't woken up to an empty bed the next morning.

It quickly became apparent to him that she wasn't interested in him in any sense of the word, which wasn't an easy pill to swallow, but he did so anyway and decided to keep things simply platonic.

"...Son'bitch couldn't even aim properly. He hit everythan' but the target. Nearly got us thrown out…"

Rick snickered at his friend and fellow deputy's tale as they drove through town in one of the squad cars, "Isn't that the point of the gun range? To practise?"

"Yeah but you can't be that bad at it", Daryl rasped, chewing on the end of a tooth pick as he glowered out the windscreen.

"Guess not around you", Rick sighed, causing Daryl muttered something incoherent under his breath. It was often how he ended a topic that annoyed him.

It was early in the afternoon and residents were enjoying another sunny day. People would wave when they saw the familiar vehicle cruise by, and it filled Rick with pride to have such good standing in the community. There was no denying that he loved the town that he had grown up in, but a part of him couldn't part with what his ex-wife had said to him earlier that day.

Only few people ever left Kings County. Everyone knew everyone, and often everyone knew each other's business. There would be the occasional scandal here and there, rarely anything serious, but any gossip was good gossip.

"Take a look at this guy over here", Daryl announced dryly as he tipped his head towards his window, signalling where to look, "What the hell is he doing?"

Rick leaned forward and glanced through the passenger window, expecting to see what had caught Daryl's eye when he spotted an even stranger sight.

Michonne was stood on the sidewalk, preparing to cross the street as she held a brown paper bag in her arms, wearing a black and white sleeveless floral dress with her dreadlocks tied up. Rick frowned before pulling into the nearest parking spot on the opposite side of the street.

"What's going on?", Daryl perked up, looking at Rick for more information.

"Just give me a second", He unfastened his seatbelt as he peered out the back window to see which way Michonne was heading, "I need to check somethan' out"

Once out of the car, Rick continued to keep his eyes on Michonne as she crossed the street, too wrapped in her thoughts to notice him until he was directly in front of her.

"Jesus", She breathed, taking a small step back in shock, "I didn't think this town was _that_ small"

"What's going on?", Rick asked, tipping his head towards the bag she held, "You came all the way here for groceries?"

"No… I came to see some apartments", She admitted wryly, "I just stopped by the store so I could look around a little…"

He slowly inhaled as he put his hands at the sides of his navy uniform shirt, "Why didn't you call me? I could have checked it out for you and saved you the trip"

"Yeah I know, but I had the day off so it seemed like the perfect time"

Rick slowly nodded as he dropped his gaze for a second, "So how was it? Did you like any?"

"There was one that I really liked… I might take It"

He almost sighed with relief, "Yeah?"

"Yeah", She adjusted the grocery bag to rest on her hip so she had a hand free to shield her from the sun. She inadvertently revealed her blossoming bump to him, which instantly caught Rick's attention.

"Let me take that", He offered, motioning his hand towards the bag.

"I got it", She replied casually, "I'm just a little hot"

"Well, where did you park?"

"Down the street"

"I'll walk you.", Rick wasn't entirely surprised that Michonne was effectively rejecting any kind of help he offered. He had learnt that she was headstrong and fiercely protective of her independence, which he considered to be admirable qualities, but he still wished she would accept some assistance from him at some point. He snuck a glance at her as they strolled along the pavement towards her vehicle, "So have you had a chance to think about that family meeting?"

Her big brown eyes slid over to his direction, "I have. I just need to talk to my parents"

Rick was pleased to hear that, "How are they taking this?"

He noticed she took a deep breath, "They're taking this just fine. They're actually pretty excited"

"Oh?", His light brows curved up in surprise, "Well that's good"

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, "And yours?"

Rick remembered the way his mother and father looked at him with horror when he spoke to them about her pregnancy. He cleared his throat, "They were pretty shocked at first, but they're starting to come around... They always did make some not-so-subtle hints that they wanted more grandchildren"

She shifted her bag from one arm to the other as they approached her car, smirking when she responded, "Well this is one way to give them what they want"

It was the first time he had seen even a hint of a smile appear on her face since their night together. He stopped by her car and nodded, "Yeah, you're right about that"

He watched as she put her bag in the trunk, then flicked her long dreads over her shoulder as she spun around to face him again, and seemingly lost her balance as she slapped her hand on the car to steady herself.

Rick was at her side in split second, "Hey? You alright?"

"Fine", She insisted as she straightened up, using her free hand to fan herself, "Just a little hot"

He could remember hearing Lori complain of the same thing when she was pregnant with Carl. It was a particularly hot day and that type of heat didn't usually agree with pregnant women. He peered inside her car through the back window, "You haven't got any water with you?"

"No", She huffed, "I didn't want to need the bathroom when I was driving here, since my bladder is now the size of a nickel"

"...Well you need to have some on you, especially if you're gonna' be out for most of the day", He advised in an assertive tone, "You need to have a seat for a while before I can let you drive anywhere-"

"Let me?", She raised an eyebrow while she looked at him strangely.

"Yeah, let you", He repeated, resting his hands at his sides once again, "I can't allow you to drive out of here if the heat is making you light headed. You're pregnant so it could be serious, and anythan' can happen while you're on the highway"

He was sure he heard her growl before she spoke, "I'll get a bottle of water and relax in my car for a minute"

"You wait inside, I'll get it", He offered, stepping away before she could object, "I'm just gonna' let my partner know what's going on"

Rick walked away sure that he could feel Michonne's gaze burning into his back. He would have preferred that she took a moment to rest somewhere with better air conditioning, but her vehicle would have to do. He reached the squad car where Daryl was leaning against the driver side door with one arm on the roof, his eyes narrowed at Rick from beneath his dark, shaggy hair, "Who was that?"

"Michonne", Rick answered with a sigh. Daryl was the first person he confided in when he learnt of her pregnancy, and the only person he was openly discussed her with.

His friend's eyes widened a tiny fraction, "Yeah?"

"Yeah. She came out here to look for a place but this heat is getting to her. I'm gonna' get her some water, maybe wait with her for a while"

Daryl slowly nodded as he looked past Rick, "Alright. Well I'll meet you at The Diner, I'll leave the car here"

"Thanks."

Rick went into a nearby store and grabbed a large bottle of water, as well as some grapes, and headed to the cashier. He had time to reflect on how pleased he was to learn that Michonne had found somewhere to live, and that she had a set of supportive parents behind her. He felt as if they were taking the right steps to create a stable foundation for their daughter, bar the fact that she was still married.

Michonne always remained vague about what was happening with her divorce, and even more so about her marriage, so Rick didn't have the faintest idea what kind of person her soon to be ex-husband was, but he didn't rule out the possibility that he may have been the cause for her guarded nature.

With purchases in hand, Rick returned to Michonne's car to find her sat with the driver's side door open, one leg crossed over the other outside the vehicle while she spoke on the phone, "...Yeah, well this was solely Enid's idea and I tried to talk her out of it but she ran away from me…"

Rick held out the water to her first and then placed the grapes on her lap. She frowned at the bag but continued with her conversation, "Next weekend is fine… yeah… okay, well I'll talk to you before then. Okay, bye!"

He leaned his forearm on the door as he looked down at her, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine- You didn't need to get me grapes", She peered up at him, still frowning.

He shrugged, "Somethan' to snack on"

"...Well, thank you", She blew out a breath as she cracked open the bottle of water, "There was actually something I wanted to ask you…"

Rick didn't think he'd be so eager to hear what she was going to ask, but since she never asked for anything at all, he quickly replied, "Yeah? Go ahead"

She took a sip of her water before explaining further, "One of my students if throwing me a leaving party and a gender reveal party"

His eyebrows made a straight line, "A _gender reveal_ party? What exactly is that?"

"Like a baby shower, but instead I reveal the sex of the baby to everyone", She informed dryly, "It's something young people do these days"

He smiled at her joke, "I guess I must be really old then because I've never heard of that before?"

"Neither had I, but her aunts a party planner and it's well underway so… I mean, you don't have to come if you don't want to or if you're busy then its fine-"

"I'd love to. I don't think I'll ever get a chance to another party like that again", He answered easily, "Just tell me the time and the place, I'll be there"

Michonne blew out a breath, appearing hesitant to speak again, "Not everyone knows that my husband and I are divorcing… it's not something I've told many people"

Rick bit his bottom lip as he realised what her reservations were.

"I just don't know how I'd introduce you", She used her fingers to comb her locks away face, "Or if I can handle the questions I might get"

He could understand that. He had often wondered how he would introduce Michonne when she did start living in Kings County, so he could empathise with her, "Well, you could just tell them the truth…"

"That I split with my husband eight months ago and I'm six months pregnant by a guy I met at a bar?", She recited flatly.

Rick inhaled sharply, hating to be referred to as 'a guy she met at a bar', even if it was the truth, "Or you just tell them that we're together?"

Her eyebrows sprang up, "We're together?"

"Yeah", He confirmed, hoping that his pale skin wouldn't deceive him by flushing red, "Everyone will still be shocked but they probably won't question it too much if I'm there"

Her eyebrows stayed raised for quite some, "...You don't have to-"

"It's fine. I've thought about that too and I guess it's easier. We won't have to do anythan' other than just say it"

Michonne appeared sceptical, her gaze darting all over his face as she considered his proposal. Rick really did believe it would be the simpler option for them both, even though he felt almost no shame for the predicament they were in, he just didn't want to have to explain himself and he didn't feel as if she should have to either. After a moment of silence she finally responded, "Fine. We'll do that then."

"Alright", Rick rasped, his finger tapping on the door frame, "This shouldn't be so bad"

She still didn't look convinced, but nodded in agreement, " _Yeah_ …".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"How much do you think they've made?"

Michonne looked around the busy gymnasium with a wide smile as she placed a hand on her stomach, "At least five hundred dollars… maybe more?"

"Is that enough?", Sasha quizzed; about to take a sip from her cup of freshly squeezed lemonade.

"Well I've been talking to a lot of local store owners… trying to get them to pitch in", She explained, turning to face her friend, "The school needs the funding for these extracurricular activities. The more money we get then the more clubs we can open and they can have something to look forward too-"

"I've already spent fifty dollars today", Sasha deadpanned, giving Michonne a stern look.

"Oh, you did?", She grinned, "Well thank you. We appreciate it"

Sasha smirked as she turned her attention back to the students and members of the community, "Where is Andrea? She should be here, too"

Michonne snorted, "She avoids things like this by sending a cheque instead"

Sasha cackled evilly, "That sounds like something she'd do"

"Of course", She sighed, her gaze falling on one of the booths nearby, "Have they sold out over there?"

Sasha followed her line of sight, "It looks like it... The purses turned out great , your mom really went all out with those girls"

"Yeah. She's wants the sewing club to keep running because they really enjoyed it, and so did she. They could even continue making them and selling them on the school website or something...", Michonne's gaze fell to her waistline when she felt her phone vibrating in her pants pocket. She retrieved it, and immediately declined the call when she saw her husband's name.

Sasha gave her a knowing look when she saw her shove her phone away, "Was that who I think it was?"

"Yes.", She answered flatly, crossing her arms as she looked out to the crowd again, "He knows I'm pregnant"

Sasha's eyes widened, "You told him?"

"No… He was trying to slow everything down again, so Andrea suggested that we let it known that I'm expecting and trying to move on with someone else…"

Her friend narrowed her eyes as she thought about it, "Well, that does make sense"

"She and Rick seem to be on the same page…", Michonne lowered her voice as she leaned in closer to her friend, "He suggested we take on the same approach at the party next week"

Sasha's eyes widened once again, "He said that?!"

" _Shhh_!", Michonne hissed, "He did"

The other woman cackled again as she tapped her arm, "So will there be some heavy petting at the party? Like at the bar that night?"

Michonne gasped, "No! We're just going to say we're together and that's it"

Sasha scoffed at her, "Oh please! You're going to at least have to look like you're in a relationship with him- you can't just say it with that sceptical look on your face while"

Michonne frowned uncomfortably as she realised what her friend was saying was true, "I didn't think of that..."

It wasn't something she had considered at all. When Rick first made the suggestion, she was shocked to say the least. She didn't think he would see that as a solution to their predicament, but he insisted that it would only have to be a verbal confirmation so she agreed. It didn't occur to her that they would have to behave as if they were in a relationship, and she wasn't sure how she could manage to do such a thing without making things even more awkward between them.

Despite what her friends had said to her, Rick was becoming an even bigger presence in her life whether she was ready to accept it or not. She was beginning to believe that he would quite easily do anything to help her no matter how much she protested, which was why she snuck away from the fair that Friday afternoon to give him a call.

"How's it going?", She queried, taking a seat in the brick wall at the front of the school.

"Good", Rick answered in his gravelly tone. He had insisted that he saw what condition her new home was in, and offered to carry out any minor work on the property, so she felt she had no choice but to let him, "The house is in good shape, it just needed a few thangs seen to, but uh, yeah everythan's working the way it's meant to"

She slowly nodded as she looked out onto the street, "Great, thank you"

"No problem. We can actually get started on painting it this weekend… Carl's with his mother so I'll have the time to do it. Just let me know what you want done-"

"You don't have to paint anything, Rick. That can get done later"

"It's better to do it now, before you move in… the smell wouldn't be good for you "

Michonne rolled her eyes shut as she held back a sigh, "Well you're right, but I haven't thought about any of that yet"

"Pink? For her room?"

She cringed, "Maybe not pink… Um, yellow? Something bright"

"Yellow sounds good. Alright, I'll stop by the store on the way home"

She curled her finger around the helm of her blouse and began to fuss with the silk material, "...Well, okay… thanks… but if it's too much trouble then just forget about it-"

"I'm pretty good with a paint brush so it shouldn't be a problem…", He joked weakly, "So uh, are you heading home now or-"

"Oh no, I'm at a school fair… trying to raise some money for the students"

"Really? Sounds great… How's the planning going for the… _thang_ going?"

"The _reveal_ party?", She groaned, "It's still going. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing there"

He chuckled quietly, "I guess you just let them fuss over you"

"I'm not used to that"

"...I can believe that", He said coolly, leading Michonne to roll her eyes as a smile spread across her face.

"Hilarious", She retorted dryly just as she laid eyes on her stepmother, who was making her way up the school steps, "Uh, I have to get back inside so-"

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye"

"Alright, bye.", She hung up the phone and greeted the older woman with a warm smile, "Hey!"

"Hey honey!", Her stepmother grinned, pulling off her gold rimmed sunglasses. Jacqui was essentially the only mother Michonne ever knew, having lost her birth mother very early in her life. She adored both her parents dearly, but her stepmother had always been considered a best friend, as well as family. She strolled over to Michonne with open arms, "How are you doing?"

"Good. Glad you can make it, the purses are all sold out", Michonne announced as she stood up and gave her a hug, "They did great"

"I knew they would! Those girls worked their little butts off", She pulled back and looked down at Michonne's stomach, "Speaking of little butts, how's my little one doing?"

"Fine", Michonne instinctively touched her stomach, "No problems today"

"Oh good… and the father? Have you spoken to him today?"

"Yeah. I was just on the phone to him actually-"

"That's why you hung up so quickly", Her stepmother squinted at her, "Don't think I didn't see that"

Michonne groaned as she started to tug her step-mother into the building, "Let's go, mom"

"Why won't you let me talk to him? Forget your father- I want to meet him first"

Michonne intended to sigh but found herself laughing instead, "We'll talk about it later, I promise"

With a fully booked schedule, Michonne hadn't taken the time out to arrange a meeting between the two families. She knew Rick would rather it happened sooner than later, which is why she thought it would make more sense to wait until she moved to Kings County since she had plenty to tie up in Atlanta.

It was unrealistic of her to think that her divorce would be finalised before she moved, but it was the one obstacle that was truly holding her back. She didn't want to have to see or speak to Mike ever again. While she no longer felt pain when she thought about his infidelity, the anger still boiled within her whenever she did think of him, so she couldn't bear the thought of how she would react if she did have any contact with him.

Luckily she was too busy to think of him often. When she wasn't immersed in her work at the high school, she spent her time shopping for furniture and everything else she would possibly need for her daughter's arrival. When she disregarded everything else that was happening around her, she could focus on welcoming the new addition and nothing filled her with more enchanting than knowing the day would come that she could hold her baby in her arms.

"You look beautiful! You're actually glowing right now!"

Michonne peered at herself in her car window once again as she stood in the high school parking lot. The day of her gender reveal party had finally came and to please her students, Edith in particular, she wore a white, flowing sun-dress, complete with a handmade daisy crown from the teenager. Michonne groaned as she looked at Sasha, "I'm too old for this"

Sasha's smile tightened as she her best to suppress a chuckle, "Just a little"

Michonne mimicked her friend as she shook her head, "These kids are lucky that I love them so much"

"Oh come on, you look great", Sasha placed a hand on her lower back as she urged Michonne to move, "And you will not believe what it looks like in there"

Michonne beamed as she adjusted her small, impractical purse on her shoulder, "I can't wait. They've kept me out of the loop this whole time"

"You're here! Come on!", Edith cheered as she appeared at the two large entrance doors, wearing a light blue frock and matching ballet pumps, which Michonne found adorable. The teen grinned from ear to ear, "We're all waiting!"

Nothing could prepare Michonne for what she saw in the gymnasium that afternoon. It didn't even look like the same hall she had been in countless times before; the room was wall to wall with white flower arrangements, and the usually gray ceiling panels were covered by white drapes that swept over the room. A band played soft music from a pop-up stage, overlooking cream bistro sets which each had a tea stand filled with an assortment of cupcakes, macaroons and cookies. More importantly, most of the students she worked with were there, including other faculty members, friends and family. Michonne was blown away.

"Oh my God, are you crying?", Andrea teased as she pulled Michonne into a hug after she greeted almost everyone in attendance, "I didn't think you did that"

"I'm a mess", She muttered, looking to the ceiling so the tears wouldn't fall, "This is all so beautiful"

"You have to sit right up here", Edith pointed to a table larger than others, "So we can start giving you your gifts"

"You have to give me a hug first", Michonne instructed once she was free from Andrea, "You are amazing, Edith"

The teen easily jumped in her arms, "I didn't do anything, it was all down to my aunt"

"Well I need to thank her"

"She's right there", Edith informed, gesturing at the homely looking brunette that stood nearby.

"Hey!", The woman held out a hand to Michonne as she stepped closer, "Nice to finally meet you! My name's Maggie. Maggie Greene"

"Hi Maggie", Michonne shook her hand, "Thank you so much for all of this"

"Oh it's no problem at all, I had fun doing it", Maggie replied with a dazzling smile, "And Edith gave me no choice"

"She's right, I didn't.", The teen piped up.

Maggie rolled her eyes playfully at her niece, "So how far along are you?"

"I'm almost six and a half months", Michonne placed her hand on her bump, wondering if she'd always do that whenever somebody mentioned her pregnancy.

"That's great! I don't think anybody here can wait to find out what you're having", Maggie tittered, when her green eyes travelled behind Michonne and her brows swiftly knitted together.

Michonne was about to peak over her shoulder to see what had caught her attention but she didn't have to, as she felt a hand rest on her lower back and all she had to do was look up to see Rick at her side, wearing a crooked smile as he said, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah", Michonne felt a nervous pang in her stomach as she responded weakly, "You made it"

"Of course", He confirmed, his gaze travelling to the other woman, "How are you, Maggie?"

"I'm fine", Maggie wore an obviously confused smile, "I didn't think I'd catch you up here?"

"Uh, yeah", Rick used the hand that he hadn't cemented on Michonne's lower back to rub the back of his neck, "Did you do all this?"

"I did. My niece actually goes to the school", Maggie tipped her head in Edith's direction.

Ricks eyes widened as he looked at the girl, "Patrick's daughter?"

"Yeah"

Edith looked just as dumbfounded as her aunt had moments ago, but still muttered a polite, "Hi"

"Nice to meet you, I actually went to school with dad year ago", Rick grinned at her.

"Years ago", Maggie joked, nudging her niece, "It really is a small world, huh?"

Rick cleared his throat as he nodded, "Yeah, it is"

Michonne had watched the scene slowly begin to unravel from the side-line, knowing the moment would come where they'd have to finally breathe life into their agreed lie, so she spoke up, "We're together. Rick is my boyfriend"

Edith stared at them wide eyes, while Maggie slowly inhaled before she cooed, "Oh! Wow! Well! That's fantastic… uh, congratulations Rick!"

"Oh my God", Michonne heard Andrea mutter from somewhere behind her, and she was sure Rick must of heard her too but he still glowed as he replied, "Thanks"

"But what about Mike?", Edith blurted out, but quickly snapped her mouth shut. Her cheeks soon flamed, and the girl dropped her gaze as she muttered, "Um… sorry. I'm going to get a drink"

Michonne had never seen the girl move so fast, and Maggie gave them an apologetic look as she took off after her niece. Rick blew out a breath as he lowered his voice, "That's wasn't too bad, was it?"

"I'll need to talk to her", Michonne declared sadly, glancing around the bustling hall, "My parents are here, by the way… and my brother"

His eyebrows sprung up as he too looked around, "Oh? That's great."

"I guess it is", She huffed, taking a moment to look at him properly. He wore a blue checked button down with a pair of dark blue jeans, which wasn't really fitting with the theme of things but she still thought he looked nice. She peered past him when she noticed someone dressed just as casually as he was, leaning on the frame of the double doors. She tilted her head towards his friend, "I'm glad you brought someone. I wasn't sure what to expect today"

"Yeah, it's not a problem is it? I should have asked first-"

"No, its fine", She insisted truthfully, "I guess I need to get familiar with your friends too…"

"We both do", He smirked, eyes darting all over the gymnasium once again, "This is really somethan' though… it's great"

"Yeah. It is", She agreed with a hint of sadness in her tone, feeling overwhelmed once again, "I guess we should-"

"Honey, I want to get some pictures of you", Her stepmother appeared on the other side of her with a wide smile, the blue chiffon dress she wore flowing wildly whenever she moved, "Come on"

"Oh, um, mom?", Michonne felt her mouth growing dry, "I need you to meet someone"

Her stepmother froze, "Oh?"

"Rick. This is Rick", She informed, motioning a hand in his direction, "Rick, this is my mom, Jacqui"

"Nice to meet you, ma'am", Rick grinned, holding out a hand to her.

"Rick?", Her stepmother repeated, her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, when all of sudden the popped wide open and she gasped, smacking his hand out of the way and pulling him in for a hug, "Rick! Move that hand out the way and come here! It's great to finally meet you!"

Rick laughed as he hugged her back, "And the same to you, ma'am"

"Michonne didn't tell us you were coming!", Her stepmother sent her a pointed look as she broke the embrace, "Now where is my husband- he's dying to meet you, too! John?! John?!"

Michonne exhaled as she watched the older woman call for her father, "Mom-"

"What's the matter? Is everybody alright?", Her father appeared on the opposite side of Rick with his commanding tone. He was a tall, well-built man that managed to cast a shadow wherever he went, but his usually intimidating appearance was softened by the blue shirt and matching shorts that he wore, "What happened?"

"It's Rick! Look! He's right here!", Jacqui declared excitedly as she pointed to him.

Her father's face slowly lit up beneath his grey beard as he looked Rick from head to toe, " _This_ is Rick?"

"That's him!"

"Well get over here, son! It's great to finally meet you!", Michonne could only watch on helplessly as Rick was pulled into another bear hug by her powerful father, "We're so glad you came!"

"We are! Very glad!", Her stepmother chimed, wrapping her arm around Michonne and embracing her too, "This is lovely"

"It's great to meet you too, sir", Rick choked out once he was released, "Really, it is"

"We need to have a seat somewhere", Her father boomed, looking in the area around them, "We have so much to discuss"

"We have heard so many good things about you", Her mother sang proudly, "It's really warmed us up"

"It has!", Her father agreed, placing a hand on Rick's shoulder, "Because we were a little worried at first, but Michonne hasn't had a bad word to say about you and that is the kind of energy- that positive, nurturing energy- we welcome with open arms into our family. That's what a baby needs"

"It's so important", Her stepmother nodded, her large hoop eating swinging on either side of her head, "And lots of love"

"And lots of love!", Her father chuckled and the hall shook, "That's the most important thing. So come on, I want to know everything there is to know about Rick"

Michonne didn't realise that she was holding her breath until she felt light headed. Even though her parents were giving him a warm welcome, she wanted Rick to have a moment to catch his breath too, which is why she quickly suggested, "Um, mom and dad, He just got here and I still need to introduce him to a few others-"

"Oh, of course!", Her stepmother gasped, giving her shoulder a squeeze, "How rude of us! Go ahead!'

"Yes! Go ahead! Come and find us when you're done", Her father gave Rick a firm pat on the back as he smiled from within his grey beard, "We can't wait!"

Her parents allowed Michonne to lead Rick away, and as soon as she was out of earshot she whispered to him, "I'm so sorry, I probably should have warned you that my parents can be a little… intense"

"What?", He frowned down at her, "Don't apologise at all, that's was… that was great"

"You're just saying that"

"No", He replied seriously, "I mean it. They were really nice… I don't think I've had anyone make me feel so good about myself seconds after meeting them"

She bit back a smile, "They can do that"

"I feel like I need to coach my parents to do the same"

Laughter burst from her lips as they stopped at the largest table, "That was pretty funny"

He smiled down at her as he faced her, "You look great by the way. I should have said somethan' earlier, but you do"

Michonne felt herself growing uncharacteristically bashful, "Thanks… It was the kid's idea for all of this"

"It was a great idea"

She tucked a lock behind her ear as she looked away from him, "So… how are things going at the house?"

"Good, we'll have it done by the end of the week", He replied, resting one hand on his side as he shifted his weight, "Do you have any idea of when you wanna' move in?"

"Well my lease here is up so before the end of the month?"

"Alright. Let me know and I'll make sure I get the day off"

"You don't need to that, my family already volunteered", She declined politely, "But I'll let you know when I finally make it"

"Okay", He slowly nodded as his eyes skimmed over her face, then he dropped his gaze between them, "Well, she's gonna' be here soon"

It was as if on cue that Michonne felt a flutter in abdomen. She smirked as she smoothed both hands over her dress, "Yeah… Have you talked to Carl yet?"

His gaze rolled back up to meet hers again, "No, not yet. I told his mother, she agreed to help me talk to him about it"

Michonne bit her lips together as she nodded. She was unsure what to say when he brought up the topic of his ex-wife, purely because she didn't know any more about her than Rick knew about Mike, but she was getting the impression that the two of them got along well. She could only see that as a bonus.

"How's our favourite counsellor doing?", A faculty member stood beside Michonne and held out a fancy Champagne flute, "Non- alcoholic"

"Thank you, Shelly", She replied flatly as she took the beverage. Mrs Niedermeyer was known to be a bit of a gossip, which is why Michonne saw right through her polite attempt to bring her a drink. She knew why the woman really came over, "Shelly, this is Rick. Rick, this is Shelly"

"You're not from around here", The strawberry blonde narrowed her eyes at him as she stuck her hand out for him to shake, "I caught wind of your accent over there"

"No, I'm not", Rick said whilst taking her hand, "Kings County"

"Oh! I didn't know Michonne already knew anyone from out there", Shelly giggled as nudged Michonne with her shoulder, "Will you be working with her at the school?"

Rick began to squint at the woman as he tried to understand the question, while Michonne simply spat out, "No, Shelly. He's my... boyfriend"

The woman's bright green eyes began to glow as if she were a magpie that had found a piece of gold, "Boyfriend? Is that so? Well congratulations! How unexpected!"

Rick still looked at her strangely, "Thank you"

"I wasn't even aware that you and Mike had split up?", Shelly spoke boldly, looking her from head to toe, "Well, I mean... not that it's any of my business of course. I'm just surprised… but this is great and I'm happy for you"

Michonne blinked at the woman as she forced a smile on her face, "Thank you"

"So, just as one friend to another", Shelly lowered her voice as she placed her hand on Michonne's back, "I feel I should probably tell you that I don't think anyone else knew that the two of you had split up either, because I'm almost certain that Mike knew about today and he said he was coming"

The fake smile Michonne had plastered on her face vanished just as quickly as it had appeared, "What?"

"Oh yes. I can't remember who it was who said so…", The woman snuck a peak over her shoulder, "But I know that I definitely heard that he was going to be with you today"

Every muscle in Michonne's body tensed as she looked around the gymnasium for one of her closest friends, "Where's Andrea?"

"I'm not sure, but why don't you have a seat and I'll gladly go and find her for you", Shelly volunteered, stepping around Michonne with an exaggerated pout, "We don't want our little mommy-to-be stressed out"

It suddenly made sense to Michonne why she was receiving an increase of calls from Mike in the last week or so. She had assumed that it was because he had found out about her pregnancy through their divorce negotiations, but it now looked as if that may not have been the case. She snapped out of her thoughts to face Rick, who appeared to watch her with bated breath. She sighed, "He only found out that I was pregnant recently. I haven't talked to him since we separated."

His chest grew as he inhaled, "...Right"

"If he does turn up today then I'll just-"

"He doesn't want the two of you to divorce?… Is that why he'd turn up today?", Rick furrowed his light brows as he quizzed her, "Am I right about that?"

Michonne looked away from him for the briefest of moments, "You are right about that"

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip while his expression changed to something unreadable, and before she was given the chance to hear his thoughts on the touchy subject they were both distracted by an announcement made by a noticeably deflated Enid, "Hey everyone… thank you for coming, we're going to start the games now…"

Michonne tore her gaze away from the teenager on the stage to look back at Rick, but she was instead greeted by the sight of Maggie, "Sorry Rick but I'm gonna' need to steal your lady away from you for a little while"

He gave her a friendly smile as he agreed, "Go right ahead"

Michonne sent him a brief look, hoping to convey that she wanted to continue their talk later, before being whisked to the centre of the gymnasium where the other guests were gathering with excitement. She plastered on a smile and joined them.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I wasn't sure where to put this note, but hopefully you will all see it. Sorry for the wait but I had the time to write more so I'm trying guys lol the devil is winning right now, but thank you all for the support because it means the WORLD to me! So I hope you angels enjoy these updates! I tried not to rush them before my time off is over but if you think they're a bit crap then just know that it's because I'm pretty crap right now. Ha! xo

Chapter Four:

"...You see, one thing you've probably already recognised about my daughter is that she can be a little hard to budge- she likes being self-sufficient, and while I love that about her, it can be a difficult to help someone who prefers to do everything on their own. I used to tell a joke that she virtually raised herself!"

Rick smiled as he watched the older man roar with laughter, his broad shoulders trembling as he slapped a heavy hand on Rick's back. He felt it necessary to add, "I'd have no problem believing that"

"You'll soon learn how to work with her", Jacqui chimed, placing a hand on Rick's bicep, "And as long as there's mutual care and respect - the two of you will be able to accomplish anything-"

"My wife is right", John nodded in agreement as his laughter died down, "Respect and care are two very important things. You have to have some degree of care for one and other because you are both vital players in this baby's life-"

"Very vital players", Jacqui added.

John rose his hands as he spoke, "You need to recognise and accept that although you've created a child under in… alternative circumstances... you've both decided that you wish to go ahead with being parents, which is a brave decision because those circumstances are what makes it even more difficult than usual. You're still getting to know each other and there's so much to learn-"

"But you can do it as long as you remember that you're on the same team. You're partners in this no matter what, and at the end of the day you'll both love that baby with all your heart", Jacqui tapped her hand on her chest to emphasis her point, "And you both have the same objective-"

"To raise your child in a stable, loving, nurturing happy home", John finished, wrapping an arm around Rick and giving his shoulder a squeeze, "It won't be easy, but you can do it. I have a lot of faith in the both of you"

Rick slowly inhaled as he absorbed the unbelievably uplifting message, "Thank you both a lot for that. It's great to know that Michonne has so much support from you guys-"

"You both have our support", Jacqui corrected, squeezing his bicep gently, "You are the father to our first grandchild- you're part of the family now"

Rick felt his cheeks start to redden, "Thank you. Honestly, that means a lot to me-"

Jacqui gasped, "John he has a son!"

John's eyebrows shot up, "You do have a son! Tell us about him?"

Rick chuckled as he gathered his thoughts, "Well, his name's Carl, and he's going to be ten soon. I haven't broken the news to him just yet but uh, his mother agreed to help so we plan to sit him down and let him know that he's gonna' be a big brother soon. I expect him to be a little… confused but I think he'll get used to the idea pretty quickly…"

"Did you hear that John?", Jacqui sighed as she smiled, "How wonderful is that?"

"That is wonderful", John agreed, giving Rick an impressed nod, "You and your son's mother working together for your son- it's admiring. It's so beneficial to your little boy-"

"It will make him feel included- And that's what you want. That's what we want. We've had to remind Michonne that this doesn't just affect the your life but it effects everyone that cares about you, and we all want to be a part of this new chapter", Jacqui declared gently, "I'm sure your son would feel the same, and he's very much a part of this, too"

"Very much so", John concluded, "We would love to meet him-"

"We would! We have to"

Rick nodded in agreement, "Well I'd love to bring him along to dinner?"

Her parents stared at him with blank expressions.

"...Dinner? With my parents?", Rick squinted from Michonne's father to her mother, "...I asked Michonne about this a while ago… my parents would like to meet you all"

Michonne's parents both groaned as they shared a knowing look between each other. John appeared to shake his head with exasperation, "Sadly we weren't informed about this dinner from our daughter but we are pleased to tell you that we'd love to have dinner with your parents"

"We'd love to", Jacqui insisted, squeezing him once again, "We have yet to take a trip down to Kings County- Michonne said it's a beautiful little town"

"That reminds me", John began to frown, "Her new home? I heard you checked it out for her?"

Rick shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah I just made sure everythan' was in working order… we got the baby's room painted- just trying to get it together before she comes down there"

John and Jacqui beamed at each other before returning their attentions back to Rick. John held him by the shoulders for a second time, "I don't think I could leave my daughter in better hands than yours"

"Didn't I say he had a goodness about him?", Jacqui grinned, " _I just knew it_ "

"My wife did say so. She's almost always right about these things", John agreed, before gazing around the hall with a content smile, "Now, what have these ladies got planned for my precious little girl?"

"I don't think you can call me a little girl anymore dad", Michonne pipped up dryly as she stepped into view from behind her large father.

"Nonsense. Of course I can. I always will", The man insisted firmly as he pulled her close to him and placed a kiss lovingly on her head, "Now tell me what's happening here? When do we find out what you're having?"

"Right now, but I need to steal him from you guys first", She explained, tilting her head in the opposite direction as she looked at Rick, "I'm sorry but you actually have to do something now…"

He let her take hold of his arm, "Sure. Whatever you want"

Rick gave her parents a little parting wave before she snaked them around the tables and chairs to get to the front of a waiting crowd. He took a quick opportunity to glance at Daryl, who had had brought along on a whim, and luckily for him, his friend was busy eating by the door, his face obscured by the blue paper plate.

"Okay so you both have one each…", Maggie explained as she handed Michonne and Rick two large balloons; Rick held the pink one and Michonne the blue. Maggie went on to say, "Now when the countdowns finished, all you have to do is pull the string of whatever it is you're having- confetti will come out. Got it?"

"Got it", Rick eyes his balloon carefully, not wishing to mess up the announcement.

"Great!"

Michonne watched Maggie hurry away before she hissed, "Should I just pull this one instead to mess with them a bit?"

He chuckled at her, "We could pull them both at the same time, make them thinking we're having twins?"

"My mom would pass out", The two of them giggled to each other as the crowd began to countdown. Michonne gave him a reassuring look as she whispered, "Get ready for them to scream"

"I'm ready", The moment Rick heard the crowd chant 'one' he pulled the string from the back of his balloon, causing it to pop and sprinkle pink confetti around him.

"Ah! It's a girl!", A blonde woman squealed as she made a beeline for Michonne, "I'm going to have a niece!"

"A baby girl!", Jacqui sang as she also m9ved at the speed of light to get to them, "John! It's a girl!"

"Congratulations!", Maggie popped up beside Rick and gave him a pat on the back, "I knew you'd be the one to pull it- I saw you concentrating on that balloon"

He chortled at her joke, "I didn't wanna' mess it up"

"Congratulations", Enid also popped up from beside her aunt, "...I'm happy for you guys"

Rick gave her a warm smile, "Thank you. That means a lot"

The girl slowly nodded as she looked over to Michonne, who was being swarmed by party goers. Enid's shifted uneasily as she turned to her aunt, "Should we eat now?"

"Yes we definitely should", Maggie began to look around the hall, "Alright everyone it's time to have a seat! Lunch will be served soon!"

"Congratulations, son!", John boomed, grabbing Rick by the shoulders once again, "A boy and a girl! One of each!"

"Oh we need to start going shopping!", Jacqui added from beside her husband, "I know this lovely little second hand store where all the profits go to the local-"

"Son of a bitch!", John growled, causing everyone around him to freeze in shock.

Rick eyed the man, wondering what initiated that outburst, "Uh, is everything-"

"What is he doing here?!", Jacqui snapped, pointing a manicured nail towards the entrance, "Where is Andrea?! Andrea?!"

In the short moment before John began to barrel his way through the party goers, Rick was able to catch sight of a man that he could only assume was Michonne's soon to be ex-husband. He was the only person, besides Daryl, wearing dark clothing, and the uncertain look he wore in his face seemed to indicate that he wasn't sure of his surroundings. That look almost immediately turned to fear when he saw his father-in-law charging in his direction.

"John! Stop!", Jacqui barked as she held her husband's arm. She was one of several people attempting to hold the bull of man back but all they did was slow him down.

"John! Please!", A blonde woman breathed as she held onto his shoulders, her feet swinging in the air, "God, where's the cop?!"

Rick had realised that he could no longer watch as a guest and went forth as an officer. He used the fact that John was being slowed by a pride of women to his advantage and snaked ahead, sprinting up to his friend and partner, "We got a problem"

Daryl quickly put down what appeared to be his second plate of food and rubbed his hands on his leather vest, "What the hell's going on?"

Michonne's ex-husband was only a stone's throw away from them, beginning to raise his hands in surrender as he watched the disastrous scene in front of him. Rick groaned, "You try to stop her dad- I'm taking him outside"

Daryl looked towards John and his eyes widened as he muttered, "God damn"

Rick marched over to the reason for all the upheaval and placed himself in front of the man, "Do you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

He peaked behind Rick before he nodded, "Alright."

Rick couldn't help but size the man up as they made their way out the school building. He was a little taller, with a very boyish look. Rick wouldn't think that he was out of his twenties yet but something about his face told him that the other man was not as young as he appeared. Maybe it was because of the t-shirt and ripped jeans he wore, but everything about him registered as immature to Rick.

They reached the parking lot and Rick took a moment to look him over once more before speaking, "Can I ask what you're doing here?"

The man scoffed as he ran a hand over his bald head, "I wanted to see my wife… talk to her"

Rick stared at him, "You think that feeling's mutual?"

He hesitated, his eyes darting everywhere, "...I don't know. She… It's been months since we last talked… when I heard about this… I heard she was pregnant… I had to talk to come"

"You think she wanted that?"

The man began to frown as he finally looked at Rick properly, "...I'm sorry but- are you a teacher here too or something?"

Rick dropped his gaze to the ground, peering at his shadow while he shifted his stance, "It's my child that she's having"

Everything in the man's demeanour changed. His shoulders fell while his eyebrows sprung up. He looked dumbfounded, but only for a few seconds. The news sank in and soon he was stood up straighter and his expression darker, "...I don't know what you know but-"

"I just know that she'd prefer it if you wasn't here. I think if she had wanted to speak to you then she would have", Rick ejected in an even tone, "That's all that matters"

"No offence, but this is between me and my wife. Like I said, I don't know what you know, but I'd appreciate it if you allowed us to handle whatever business we have and I'll leave you to handle whatever business the two of you have"

Rick stared at the man through narrowed eyes before shaking his head, "Nah, I'll tell you why that won't work; I've seen how she reacts whenever you're brought up and I don't like that. She's obviously still against the idea of speaking with you and I'm sure you'd understand why I'm going to respect that, and why I'll enforce that for her"

Her husband shook his head in disbelief as he looked around the parking lot, "I can't _believe_ this"

"...Believe it. If she changes her mind and she feels she's ready to talk to you then I'll step aside, but until then you might end up seeing a lot of me if you turn up like this again", Rick squinted as he heard yelling and shouting coming from within the school, "Well, you'll either see me or her father, and I don't think her father wants to talk to you either"

The other man looked towards the door and groaned, possibly out of frustration. Rick watched him closely as he appeared to battle with what to do next, and it seemed that he decided that it wasn't worth the uproar as he stomped away while yanking his cell phone out of his Jeans pocket.

Rick didn't think that would be the last he saw of her husband. He knew that if he felt bold enough to turn up to her party with so many guests in attendance then he probably wouldn't think twice about turning up at her job or her home. That only acted as fuel for Rick. He had even more reason to have Michonne in Kings County sooner than later, as he would be able to be there for him when she needed him.

After going back into the building, Rick set about defusing John's anger by informing him that his target had left. Rick couldn't believe how the man went from a peaceful giant to a raging bull in a matter of seconds, but just as quickly reverted back to the kind older man that he had first met. It made him even more likeable.

"Hey", Rick greeted softly when he found Michonne sat at a table beside another dark skinned woman, "You alright?"

She nodded but didn't look at him. She then introduced the other woman, "Sasha this is Rick, Rick this is my friend Sasha"

Sasha smiled at him, "I remember you from that night"

Rick almost blushed, "...I'm afraid I can't say the same, but it's great to meet you"

She chuckled as she stood up, "Nice to meet you, too. I'm just going to get something to eat before that friend of yours eats everything"

Rick frowned as he looked for Daryl, eyes skimming along the crowd until he found his friend holding a drumstick over his third plate as he stood by the refreshments table. He sighed as he took Sasha's seat, "I'm sorry about him"

She smirked as she rested on her hand against the table, "Its fine. I think my aunt keeps giving him food"

It was just as she said that, that Rick saw a small, plump woman with big curly hair and an adorable face walk up to Daryl with a plate in her hand. She proceeded to put some more food in Daryl's plate before swanning away, leaving his friend with a large smile on his face as he tucked into his meal. Rick almost choked on a chuckle, "I think he's in love"

"So is she", Michonne snickered, though her gaze travelled away.

Rick studied her closely for a short while, "I spoke to him"

Her eyes darted back to him, "You did?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd do him a favour and get him out of your father's path… He said he just wants to talk to you"

She rolled her eyes, "Well thank you, but I don't want you getting involved with… that. It's my problem so let's just forget about it. It's not even worth discussing. I'm just glad he's gone"

"...I'd like to know what happened, if you don't mind telling me?", He probed cautiously, hoping she wouldn't being adding bricks to that wall that she kept between them.

He saw her chest grow as she inhaled, "There's not much to know. He cheated and I left him. He thinks we can salvage what's left of our marriage and I don't. I don't want to. He's doing everything he can to stop this divorce from happening and I just… I just want to move on with my life"

Rick almost rolled his eyes too. He figured that he should have known. He glanced at her bare ring finger, "Are you afraid that something might change your mind if you see him? That he could change your mind if you talk?"

It was as if he could actually see her adding more bricks to that wall between them. Her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed together furiously.

He held a hand up, hoping to stop her from getting any angrier, "I'm just asking. I've been there before and… I can understand if you feel did that way-"

"I don't think we should complicate things any further by talking about this", She ejected coldly, "Our focus needs to be on her, and that's it"

Rick clenched his jaw, biting back anything else he had to say about the matter. Instead he simply nodded as he replied in a similar tone, "Alright Michonne"

Neither said anything else as they sat back in their seats, watching everyone else around them taking part in the celebration of their daughter happily, while they looked as if they couldn't look anymore sour if they tried.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"... _I know I messed up. You don't have to say it because I know, and I'm not asking for anything else but a chance for us to talk… You haven't even let me explain myself or anything- and I know why, I know what I did and I know I probably have no right to say this but I don't want to just throw everything away. It probably seemed like I did when I did what I did but I was just.. I was just mad at the way things were going between us and I handled it the wrong way. I went somewhere else when I should have come straight to you, and I realise that. I've realised a lot of things… I just want a chance to prove that too you. I know that you're pregnant now and in a way, I'm happy for you… because I know that you'd make a great mother_ -"

Michonne huffed as she tapped a button on her phone screen and deleted the message, no longer interested in hearing another of her husband's pleas for forgiveness. She could have chastised herself for listening to it in the first place; nothing he could say could change her mind.

However seeing just a glimpse of him at the party thrown for her by her students had put her back in a place that she was still desperately trying to escape. The pain she felt in his presence was still there, and it had begun to eat away at her all over again. The man she was sure that she was meant to spend the rest of her life with was no longer there, and she was preparing to start her life as a divorced, single mother. If anyone had told her what her future held a year ago, she wouldn't have believed it.

She sat back in the seat of her car as she peered out the windshield, placing both hands on either side of her stomach. It was still rather early in the day and she didn't think she'd get to Kings County so quickly as the city streets were busy, but as there was such little traffic on the highway that her car sailed through. Her new furniture was due to arrive that afternoon, and while she knew that she could have saved herself the trip by asking Rick to oversee the delivery, she wanted to tackle the task on her own. After all, she had agreed to move to the small town so she wanted to get better acquainted with the area.

After spending a short moment of psyching herself up to move, she grabbed her purse and exited a vehicle. Noon was approaching, and more cars began to spill into the parking lot so she hurried into the nearest grocery store, hoping to pick up a few things to keep her appetite at bay throughout the day. She grabbed a shopping cart for the sake of having something to lean on as she walked, since she no longer had the greatest balance. Her ankles were a little puffy from sitting down for so long and the straps of her bra were digging into her shoulders, and needless to say she was uncomfortable enough, but even more so when she started to noticed other shoppers looking her way.

It was apparent that there weren't many others that looked remotely like her in the small town and while most people she encountered appeared friendly, she could see that there were a select few that eyed her strangely, as if they were wondering what she was doing there. She rolled her eyes at the possibility of coming across a person who had a problem with her hue.

She grabbed some grapes, strawberries and pears when she passed the fruits, noticing that her stomach yearned for something with a little more substance, so she turned into the next aisle eagerly and immediately collided with another cart.

"Oh, I'm sorry!", She quickly began, pulling her own cart back, "I should have checked"

It was an older woman who was sporting the same hairstyle as most of the ladies in town; short and curled away from the face. She stared at Michonne with a set of warm brown eyes, her mouth slightly agape. It was only when Michonne raised her eyebrows at the women that she jumped, "Oh, uh, it's fine. It's… Go on, go ahead"

Michonne dropped her brows back into a straight line as she slowly moved the cart around the other woman's. She noticed that the woman tucked away from her when she passed, as if she were afraid to actually make contact with her, which only made Michonne scoff with disbelief as she looked back at the woman, muttering to herself, "What the hell-"

"Careful", A deep, rough voice called from in front of her, causing her to look away from the strange woman and she quickly recognised the man stood in front of her, even though she couldn't remember his name.

"Hey", She greeted wearily, her eyes surveying the area around him for any sign of Rick.

The man gave her a nod, his eyes barely visible from underneath his shaggy bangs, "Shopping?"

"Yeah. Needed a few things…", She admitted, glancing down at her cart. The man did the same, and for some reason of the other she felt awkward standing before him, as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have, so she hurriedly spoke, "I'm just having furniture delivered today… no big deal"

The man didn't rush to reply to her, in fact he barely moved. He just stood there looking at her with uninterested eyes. She was almost tempted to repeat herself but he finally did respond, "...Does Rick know that?"

"Like I said… no big deal.", She insisted with a small shrug, but something about the way he looked at her had told her that he didn't buy her excuse. She huffed quietly, "But… you're going to let him know for me, right?"

He tilted his head slightly as a sign of confirmation.

"Right.", She wasn't really surprised, "Well can you at least wait a little while before you do? I can handle his superman routine once I've had something to eat"

He smirked but with only a hint of a smile, "Deal."

"Thanks", She sighed, beginning to push the cart slightly, "It was good seeing you"

"Likewise."

She could admire the fact that he was honest, but she was hoping she wouldn't run into Rick during her visit. They hadn't precisely parted ways on pleasant terms the last time she saw him, and they had only shared one or two messages to each other in the week. She didn't intend to come across so cold towards him when he asked her about her husband, but she wished he would wait for her to want to disclose that part of her life with him. She didn't blame him for wanting to know because she was curious about his ex-wife and son too, but she didn't feel comfortable digging for information. If ever he told her anything, then she'd hope it's because he felt comfortable sharing those kinds of things and she hoped he would wait for her to do the same.

After taking several laps around the store, her cart was soon fuller than she expected but she didn't mind. She was looking forward to going to her new home and stuffing her face, but she was equally looking forward to seeing her daughter's nursery furniture. It was something Rick had picked out in a store and she had fallen in love with it immediately. She wasn't a hugely materialistic person but when it came to shopping for the baby, it was as if she couldn't help herself. Seeing all the tiny items of clothing made her heart sigh, and she couldn't wait until the day that her own child could fill the little outfits she'd bought. She tried to rein in her reactions around Rick, but only because he was so relaxed about everything. She understood that he had done it all before with his son and she appreciated the fact that he at least had some experience, but she didn't want to come across as a complete novice, even though she did consider herself to be.

"Traffic is bumper to bumper- Everywhere! I don't get why- they've blocked off all of Downtown- I've been sat here for almost two hours!", Sasha vented angrily on the phone, "Some guy is walking back and forth with one of those microphone things- I can't even understand what he's saying! God!"

Michonne listened intently, speaking before she popped a chip in her mouth, "There's no way for you to turn off and go another way?"

"Nope! It's like they got us blocked in, _nobody_ can move- I think they're trying to get people to reverse out of here but it's impossible!"

Michonne quickly chewed so she could offer a suggestion to her friend, "...You might have to up somewhere and leave your car there. Wait for things to die down"

Sasha huffed and puffed angrily, "I thought about that and was hoping that I wouldn't have to but it looks like I'll be here all night if I stay"

"It's probably a burst water main or something. Just park up, walk home and I'll pick you up tomorrow. We'll go get it together."

Sasha groaned as the sound of sirens rang out nearby, "Alright- what time are you getting back? And remember they've blocked off a lot of streets"

"I probably won't be done here until later… I saw that friend of Rick's… He probably already told him that I'm here"

"Of course. You can't sneak into a small town like that and think it won't get back to him- Hey! What the hell are you doing?! There's no room to turn around, you jackass!", Sasha barked fiercely as she hit her car horn repeatedly, "If you hit _my car_ then I'll hit _you_!"

Michonne's eyes widened for a second, "How about I call you back later?"

"You're an idiot! There's no room to do anything! You know what- Go ahead- I'm calling my brother! Michonne, hang up so I can call Tyreese", Sasha commanded, sounding as if she were moving around in her vehicle.

"Got it. Bye.", Michonne ended the call, wondering if she probably should have tried to calm her friend down before she did so but she could admit that she would be highly annoyed if she was sat in bumper to bumper traffic for two hours, too. She made a mental note to definitely call her back later in the afternoon just as she spotted a truck prowling through the streets, leading her to whisper to herself, "Finally."

"Hey! We have a delivery here for a Miss Michonne-"

"Yep, that's me", She greeted the delivery man on the front porch, having seen them pull up out front, "And you are?"

"Glenn", The friendly man smiled, "And that's my boss, Otis"

A heavy set man waved as he shut the door to the large truck, "Afternoon ma'am!"

"Same to you", Michonne waved back, then looked back at Glenn, "So should I show you where everything goes first?"

"Yeah, sure", The young male nodded, beginning to make his way up the porch steps, "So you're new in town?"

"I am", She replied, turning back to her home.

"Me too. I moved in with my grandparents a month ago", He explained, his eyes looking around her property curiously, "It's nice here. Most people are pretty cool"

"...Most?", She repeated, peering at him from the corner of her eye.

He shrugged regretfully, "Yeah. _Most_."

She slowly nodded her head, "Got it."

"Have you got to know anyone yet? It's a small town so everyone probably already knows you've here"

Michonne almost shuddered at that fact, "No, not many. Just uh, one of the Deputy's"

"Yeah? That's cool. And handy... If you ever get a ticket", He joked slyly.

She smirked at him as she led him to the first bedroom, "I guess that could be true."

The two men had shown themselves to be friendly enough as they moved the furniture from the truck and into her home, but it quickly became apparent to her that it would take some time for them to complete the job as they stumbled through building work. She stood around watching them, wondering when it would be a good time to offer to take over the job when she heard her cell phone ringing from the other room. She didn't need to even look at the screen to know that it was probably Rick, and she made a note in her mind to thank his friend for holding up to their deal.

"...I heard you were in town?", He didn't waste any time getting to the point, "Everythan' alright?"

"Fine, just having some furniture set up", She explained, strolling around the empty master bedroom as she rubbed her lower back with her free hand.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Their working on the baby's furniture now"

"...Alright", He sounded as tired as she felt but he kept on, "So you're gonna' be here a while?"

"...Possibly", She said drearily, looking towards the door as she thought about the two confused men next door.

"Well I finish in an hour, I could come over?"

"...Sure. We'll probably still be here-", She spun around in shock when she heard a loud bang and then a yelp from the nursery, "Um, I should probably keep an eye on them"

"Got it. See you soon"

"Bye."

She didn't think she had made a truer statement until she saw Otis laying on the floor, writhing around in pain as he held his finger, while Glenn hovered over him with wide, panicked eyes, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Is it bad? Are you bleeding?"

Michonne rushed over to them with her own eyes widening, "What happened?"

"I hit him with the hammer on his hand", Glenn hurriedly explained, looking as if he wanted to reach for Otis but stopping himself, "It was an accident- I thought he was holding the nail for me-"

"God, dammit!", Otis cried as he rolled onto his front, then kneeled, "Why the hell would I be holding the nail for you?!"

"That's what it looked like!", Glenn shrieked.

"Okay! Just calm down, let me take a look at it?", Michonne announced, hoping her tone would stop them both from yelling, "I doubt it's broken, you probably just-"

Her sentence came to a halt when she saw the red digit, noting that the tip was slightly off to the left. It made her stomach twist and turn unpleasantly, and even though she tried to control her reaction he still saw the brief grimace, and he immediately questioned her, "It is broken, ain't it?"

She blew out a little breath before she turned to Glenn, "You should probably get him to a hospital"

It seemed that the universe had its own way of getting the men out of her home. She helped Glenn pack up their tools, then she stood on the porch and watched their truck take off down the street.

With her snacks in hand, she returned to the nursery to take over the task of building her dresser, when it dawned on her that she had no tools of her own with her. She growled in frustration as she threw the instructions aside. She was sat on the floor with her legs spread in front of her and the ankle length skirt she wore was pulled up to her knees so she could get up easily but couldn't find the strength to get up. Everything about the scenario made her feel helpless, but she wasn't the type of person to just give up, so she leaned to one side and grabbed her phone, then leaned to the other and grabbed a chocolate bar. She spent a moment swallowing every ounce of pride she had, and opening the chocolate bar, then proceeded to make a phone call.

Being able to explain why she didn't like asking for help wasn't something she thought she could do. If anyone were to ask her for a reason then she'd give a generic response, and she had gotten used to relying on that answer so much that she never really questioned her stubbornness, however she could admit that it played a part in the fall of her marriage. Mike had always been quite traditional in his views towards relationships and it didn't initially cause much of an issue between them but when they began to dance around the idea of starting a family, it became apparent to her that he had certain expectations that she knew she couldn't meet. The light hearted talks soon grew into heated discussions, and they eventually found themselves avoiding the topic, and each other.

That same sense of tradition seemed to pour from Rick, and she saw why when she first turned up at Kings County. All the diversity she was used to had stopped at the 'Welcome to Kings County' sign and nuclear families were the only type of family you could get. Even though she didn't know that much about his background, she could imagine that he was probably taught to go school, then college, get a job, get married and look after his family, and even though she didn't see a problem with that, she knew that he had a strong sense of obligation to do whatever he could to take care of both her and their daughter. It wouldn't be much of a problem if she wasn't so hell bent on keeping her independence, but luckily for him there was a break in the clouds as she did need to step out of her comfort zone to ask for his help, which is why he arrived at her home late that afternoon armed with tools.

"What's that?", She said curiously as she stepped aside to let him in the home.

He held up the white large, brown paper bag as he walked in, "Dinner. Thought you'd be hungry"

The smell of burgers and fries wafted through the air, making her stomach hum in delight. She closed the door behind him and tried to remain cool, even though she tempted to snatch the bag away from him, "You didn't have to do that"

"Well it's getting late", He said, looking back at her as he set down a black and blue tool box on the staircase. He had obviously changed when he stopped by his own home, but she was expecting to see him in uniform and instead he wore a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans that may have seen better days, "Have you eaten?"

She had a flashback of all the food she had gone through that afternoon, and she was glad she threw away all the evidence, "I did, earlier…"

He gave her a one sided shrug as he looked down towards the bag, "Well we can put this down for now, if you're not¬"

"Well if it's still hot then we should eat it now", She suggested hurriedly, then caught herself, "I mean, if you're hungry…"

He pursed his lips, appearing to resist the urge to smile as he began to nod, "Yeah, as a matter of fact I am hungry"

"Alright", She started for the living area, feeling a little embarrassed, "Hope you don't mind sitting on the floor because I don't have any chairs yet… or tables"

"That's fine by me", He followed her, "So what did they deliver today?"

"Just her crib, dresser, changing table… My dresser, vanity table-"

"What about your other stuff? When's that coming?"

She picked a spot by the wall so she could lean against it, "Next weekend. My parents are helping me bring everything down"

"Yeah? Well alright…", They both sat down at the same time, and it was when they were both seated that he mentioned slyly, "You know… I had asked your parents about getting together… they said they didn't know anythan' about it?"

Michonne stilled, "Because I hadn't told them"

Rick stared at her blankly as he began emptying contents of the bag between them, "And why was that?"

She shrugged as she looked around the room aimlessly, "I guess I was trying to figure out when to bring it up…"

She felt warmth near her arm, and she looked down to see he was holding out a white Styrofoam container to her as he continued questioning her, "Are you worried about everyone getting together?"

"No…", She answered unsurely as she took the food from him, "I think it could go well."

She noticed that he stared away from her for a brief moment, looking as if he were thinking about the arrangement himself. He eventually responded, "...It should… But uh, I guess that I should probably let you know that my parents are a little more reserved than yours. I mean, they're not cold or anythan' it's just they can take their time to really get to know knew people"

Michonne almost moaned when she saw the juicy burger in her lap, no longer focusing on their discussion as she replied, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, but they do really wanna' meet you. They wanna' help out, too"

"Got it.", She was transported into a different realm once she took a bite of her burger. Anyone would have thought that she'd never had one before. Her pregnant body had so many demands but this was one that she could agree with.

"...I also feel like I might need to apologise…", Rick continued sometime later, after taking a few bites from his own meal, "About what happened before…"

Michonne slowed chewed her food as she listened to him, no longer in her own little world.

"...I think I forgot what it feels like to go through a divorce. Those first few months are usually the hardest and I understand that it's not always something you want to talk about", He explained coolly as he looked at her, his head slightly tilted, "I wasn't trying to- to pry. I just wanted to get some kind of idea of what's going through your mind… If you were still in a place with him that could affect what's happening here"

She leaned her head against the wall as her gaze crawled up to the ceiling. She couldn't find a fault in what he had said because he was right; her choices regarding Mike could affect him because she was having his child after all, "I've already made my decision on what's happening here. I would think that the fact that I'm moving down here would tell you all you need to know"

Rick didn't try to respond for a few moments, "And if thangs were to change?"

Michonne nearly frowned, but caught herself. It was possible that the increased amount of hormones in her body were making her more sensitive than usual because his questions regarding her ex-husband put her on edge, but she urged herself to think sensibly. He was simply searching for some kind or reassurance from her, and so avoid revisiting the topic in the future, she replied as honestly as she could, "...The night we met I'd made a decision to move on with my life. I knew what I wanted to do but I didn't know how I would do it… But when I found out I was pregnant… something just felt 'right'. I mean- I'm not thrilled about the way I got here but It was as if I was given the push that I needed to really start living the way that I wanted to. It may sound cheesy but this is a new chapter and it's… it's scary and exciting and I don't really know what to expect but I do know that I won't look back. I don't want to look back."

He didn't take his eyes off her while she spoke, telling her that he was actively listening to everything she said. He gave her a slow understanding nod when she finished, allowing his gaze to fall to her shoulder as he spoke, "...That's not cheesy"

She let out a little scoff, "It is."

"...Well then I guess I'm a little cheesy too then, because I feel the same way", He recited diplomatically, "Like you said… The way we went about thangs wasn't… thrilling… but it happened and… I don't know- I just can't see the downside of getting to be a father again however it happens."

Michonne had to snap her mouth shut, his response leaving her dazed.

"...I don't think I'm meant to say this because you're meant to just hope that you're able to have a healthy child but uh, I'm excited to be having a little girl. My ex-wife reminded me that I used to say I wanted one of each and it's true... I didn't think it would happen for a while but now it is so I'm… I'm just over the moon", He must have noticed that she had stopped drooling over her food, and hurried to ask, "Are you…are you worried about anythan'?"

She cleared her throat, "Um… Just the usual"

"...Well, you don't need to be", He offered genuinely, "I'd like to think that I've got some kind of experience behind me… I paid a lot attention in those early years"

She felt herself begin to smile, "I would hope so"

He smirked as he finally began to touch his own food, "I have to admit that Carl was a pretty laid back baby. He didn't cry much… I feel like he just slept for the first year of his life…"

Michonne found herself unable to lose focus in anything he said. They talked and talked throughout their meal and she listened intently to his stories, trying to picture the people he spoke about; she imagined his son to be small for his age, with similar warm blue eyes to his. She imagined his ex-wife to have a similar look to the woman she'd seen in town; simple and feminine. Her assumptions were confirmed when he produced a picture from his phone for her to see.

"He was around eight years old in that one.", Rick explained, putting his phone away after she had examined it.

"...It's great that the two of you get on so well…", Michonne commented lightly, hoping it didn't seem that she was expecting him to expand on his background, though she was interested to know more.

"We try. It got easier over time and always made sure there was a mutual respect- whatever we did. We didn't want to stress each other out because it wouldn't be good for Carl…", He wiped his mouth with a napkin, "I think that's always gonna' be the most important thang, what's best for the kids involved"

"Yeah, of course", She dropped her head back against the wall, wondering what time it was as it appeared to be getting dark outside.

"Sorry about this", Rick muttered, pulling out his cell phone from his jean pocket as it rang, "Yeah?"

Michonne began to collect the containers and place them back in the bag while he answered his call. She couldn't believe that they had gotten so carried away that they hadn't even started on the furniture above.

"...Wait- where?... And what did they say?...", Rick sat up, his body rigid with alert, "...Yeah. Got it…"

She placed a hand against the wall to help herself stand when he held out his own hand to her, allowing her to use it as leverage so she could stand. She missed the days where she needed little to no help to get up.

"Yeah… I'll be right there", Rick sighed as he ended his phone call, his light brows knitted together in either distress or confusion when he stood up, "That was the department-"

"You gotta' go. I got it", She ejected fairly, figuring that was the nature of his call, "It's getting late so I'm just going to head home, maybe come back up and finish this in the week"

"...I don't think so", He shook his head as his eyes combed the space around her, "...Somethan's going on… He said he'd explain when I got there but so far all we know is that people are getting attacked… they made an announcement, telling everyone to stay in their homes"

Michonne shifted her weight from one foot to another as she looked at him strangely, "Attacked?"

"Yeah, that's what he said- Have you spoken to anyone, today?", He still had that look of alert in his eyes, "Your parents? Friends?"

"No- well I spoke to Sasha earlier and she said they'd cordoned off downtown but we thought that was because of a burst water main or something-", She explained hurriedly, "So wait- what exactly is happening? People are getting attacked- by who?"

"Other people. That's all I know right now- People are getting attacked, they got the military in Atlanta trying to get a handle of thangs and they think that we're gonna' have the same problem here. They told me to come into the department so we know what's going on", Rick rubbed his thumb and index finger together as he looked towards the window, "I don't think you should head back there until we know. You might get stuck trying to get home"

Michonne suddenly began to feel a little nervous, but did her best to think of a solution as she went in search for her cell phone, "Fine. Let me call my parents."

Rick stalked over to the window and peered back and forth up the street while she made her way up the stairs. All she can think about were here parents, hoping that they weren't stuck in traffic for hours like her friend had been. She heard Rick initiate another call as she reached her daughter's room and saw her cell phone sat on the window ledge. Her relief to have found it was quickly replaced with frustration when she realised that her battery had died, causing her to growl angrily to herself. All she could gather from what Rick had said was that there was obviously a problem in Atlanta that required Military assistance. She couldn't understand what or why but knowing it would affect her returning home only filled her with anxiety.

"My cell died", She announced as she stomped down the stairs, noticing that Rick had already ended his own call, "Do you mind if I use yours to call my mom?"

"Yeah, sure- but um hold on", He stepped away from the window and towards her, "I just talked to Lori- Carl's mother… She said it's alright if I take you over there"

Michonne froze on the step, "What for?"

"To wait it out", He waved his hand around her empty home, "You can't wait here"

"No but I can go to a motel or something", She said in a matter-of-fact tone, "It's fine. I'm not going to have you drop me at your ex-wife's house so she can babysit me- we haven't even met before!"

Rick looked at her with sheer disbelief, "She wouldn't be babysitting you- You'll be waiting somewhere comfortable- with furniture- while I figure out what's going on"

"And I can do that at a motel", She countered, finally beginning to descend the rest of the stairs.

She heard Rick slowly inhale before speaking to her with a firmer tone, "Michonne, if I didn't think that whatever was going on wasn't a big deal then I would have agreed that you could head back into Atlanta, but that's not the case so I need you stop fighting with me on every little thang and just look at the bigger picture. If everythan' turns out fine then you can decide what you wanna' do next but as of now I'm officially back on duty and I don't have time to argue with you, I'm gonna' get you somewhere safe and then I gotta' do the same for everyone else. Are we clear on that?"

Michonne dropped her hand from the stair railing. The nerves that tickled her stomach previously were manifesting into something bigger, and like she often did when faced with difficult situation, she put on a brave face, "Fine. I'll get my things."

The Rick Grimes she was familiar with had vanished. She had a feeling that he took his job seriously, and now she was at the receiving end of it. She remained quiet while she found her purse and discarded of any trash. Rick waited by his truck while he was on his phone for a third time, only climbing in the driver's seat when she was done.

"...My mother's over there, too…", He announced as he started up the vehicle, "I know this isn't how we planned for you to meet everyone but you'd be comfortable… They'd make sure of that"

Michonne peered out the passenger window as she spoke quietly, "And Carl?"

Rick took quite some time to reply to her query, "...I'm gonna' talk to Lori, hopefully we can keep this under wraps for now… I don't want to make thangs more confusing"

Nothing about his arrangement made her feel comfortable. While she could understand the seriousness of the situation, he was still withholding her from returning home and placing her with his family, who'd she'd never even met before. She wouldn't think it would be so bad if he would be there with her but he intended to be out policing, leaving her to face them on her own. She encouraged herself to suck it up.

"Are you okay?", He asked gently, giving her his full attention as they had stopped at a red light.

"Fine. Just want to make sure my parents are…", Her sentence trailed off when she noticed a wild movement in her stomach. She thought she had gotten used to her daughter's moves but this one was a big one, visible through the thin material of her shirt.

"...I think I saw that", Rick commented, a hint of astonishment in his tone, "She still going?"

Michonne nodded as she peered down at herself, slightly amazed to, "She is"

"...Do you mind?"

She realised what he was suggesting when she looked at him, and even though she felt all the blood rush to her face and neck, she agreed, "Sure…Um, here… It feels like she's kicking here"

She took his hand and placed it near the top of stomach, hoping he wouldn't be able to feel her increased heartbeat. His expressions changed as he examined her stomach, a sly smile forming on his face, "She really is going, huh?"

"Yeah", Michonne let go of his hand, feeling as if she were holding it for too long.

"...I never really got to feel Carl do anythan', I always just missed it", He chuckled at the memory, just as the baby produced on final blow, either a foot or hand pressed up against the surface of her mother's stomach. He grinned with delight as he moved his thumb over the lump, "Would you look at that?"

Michonne didn't realise that she had stopped breathing until she felt the urge to gasp, "...This is the first time she's done this…"

"Really?... Well I'm glad I was here for it. I'm not sure that I would have believed you if you had told me she was _break-dancing_ in there", He joked, peering at her stomach adoringly.

A light, almost nervous giggle erupted from Michonne, "Yeah. Break-dancing¬"

Her sentence was cut short when the truck was struck. She didn't know where or by what, she just knew that the impact was enough to send the vehicle veering onto the curb, causing her head to hit the window so hard that a searing hot pain shot through her neck and she blacked out.

...

 **A/N:** Hey, you angels! I'm so sorry that I forgot to put 'Walkers' in the summary bit - but yeah this story involves walkers... Fun, right?! lol

-Bae xoxo


	6. Chapter 6

**AU** : Hey, you angels! I have to apologize for a countless time for the gaps between updates, but I've written several chapters to several fics and I'm just going to check them over and upload them over the next few days, instead of trying to do one big bulk upload. Hope you enjoy this one!

-Bae xoxo

Chapter Six:

"God, what is going on today? Everyone out there is running around like a chicken with its head cut off"

Rick had just finished putting his t-shirt back on when his ex-wife stepped into his room at the hospital. He looked back at her from over his shoulder as he spoke, "I'll find out when I get to the department"

"By the way, I had to tell them that we're married just to get up here", She said, clearly annoyed, "So if anyone asks¬"

"Got it.", In spite of being hit by a vehicle at high speed, he was fortunate enough to only come away with an aching neck and shoulder. He reluctantly allowed a young doctor to check him for any signs of trauma and just as he had assumed, he was fine. Once he'd finished fastening his belt, he sighed tiredly as he reached for his footwear.

Lori tore her gaze away from the window in the door and looked at him, "Where's, um.."

"Michonne."

"Michonne", Lori huffed, tucking her hair behind her ears, "Where is she? The baby? Are they okay?"

"Nurse said they're just checking her over", Rick held the back of his boot as shoved his foot into the shoe, "I need to find her… Did you bring Carl?"

"No, he's with your parents", Lori looked back out the window when they heard someone barking orders, "So… how does she feel about all of this?"

"No different to you.", Rick pulled his jacket on, "Thanks for this, by the way. I know it's… it's not the way we planned it to go but I just didn't want her driving back into Atlanta when there's stuff going on"

"I understand, and you know that I don't have a problem helping out but we have to remember Carl in all this, Rick", Lori gave him a knowing look, "He's going to work out that something weird's going on soon enough"

He detected a hint of concern in her tone, "I know, and Michonne said the same thang and we're just gonna' have to keep that quiet for now. He'll meet her...Hopefully, like her… then we'll have to sit him down and talk to him properly"

"Looks like we're going to have to do that sooner, rather than later", Lori turned back to face him, "Are you going to take her back to your place later?"

Rick scoffed as he made his way towards her, "That's if she hasn't already booked herself into a hotel¬"

The door opened in a hurry but Lori was able to move away in time. It was the same petite, red-haired nurse that had checked Rick before, "Oh, hello"

"I'm his wife", Lori blurted out nervously, leading Rick to narrow his eyes at her.

"Oh? Um…", The nurse closed the door behind her, "Nice to meet you, I'm Nurse Morris but you can call me Evelyn¬"

"What's going on?", Rick probed as he sat his hands on his sides.

Evelyn blew out a breath, "You're… the lady that you came in with- She's doing fine and the baby's heartbeat was stable but we're going to down the surgery center for an emergency cesarean"

Rick's eyes widened in surprise, while Lori frowned at the woman as she began to question the news, "If they're fine then why is she having a cesarean?"

"Her placenta came away from her uterus", Evelyn explained, looking back and forth between the two of them, "We think that this must have happened when you were struck by the other car- sometimes the impact can be enough to¬"

"Isn't that _life-threatening_?", Lori shot back eagerly, "She's not even due yet¬"

Rick grabbed her wrist to stop his ex-wife from becoming hysterical, "Where is she now?"

"She should be down there by now so you can come with me but... ", Evelyn explained, then looked at Lori with uncertainty, "Your wife will have to stay in the waiting room"

Rick nodded in agreement as he urged them to move, "That's fine, let's go".

The usually quiet hospital was buzzing with commotion when they exited the private room, but there was something about the way that nurses and doctors were hurrying back and forth that peaked Ricks interest; he couldn't see any patients, just medical staff rushing from one room to another. A frantic looking man in a white coat ran past them covered in blood from the waist down to his boots, causing Lori to almost bump into Evelyn when she caught sight of him too. Rick caught up with Evelyn before they entered the elevator and spoke in his authoritative tone, "What's been going on here?"

She looked up at him, appearing speechless for a moment but she quickly shook her head, "I wish I could tell you Officer, but I don't even know"

"But what do you know?", He quizzed, trying to pry some information from her confusion.

Evelyn said nothing until they were finally in the elevator, then she began spewing information, "I got back from vacation three days ago and I had to come straight here and I _haven't_ left since I got here. People that I've seen in recovery have all of a sudden in critical condition- even people that were just here for minor surgeries or just staying the night for observation... and we're doing everything we can to keep them alive but it's no use they're just getting worse and we're losing people like flies"

Rick's brows furrowed together furiously, "So people are just 'dying' here for no apparent reason? That doesn't make any sense- Somethan' must have happened to¬"

"I know", Evelyn hissed, sticking her hand up to stop him, "They've been sending blood samples to the lab like _junk mail_ but we aren't getting any answers. So far all we know is that we're trying to stop a lot of people from dying right now"

"So are my family safe here?", He questioned firmly, pointing a finger towards the ground, "If there's somethan' going around then¬"

"They should both be fine. All the action is on the top floors and they won't be anywhere near there", Evelyn insisted, "Just… maybe don't get anything from the canteen or drink the water. A couple of us think the food was contaminated or something so we've been going across the street for lunch"

Lori glanced in Rick's direction, "Duly noted"

Rick couldn't quite grasp how his day was coming to an end. He thought he'd just have to go over to Michonne's new home and help her put together her new furniture; instead, he was preparing to welcome his second child prematurely, all while trying to figure out if they had a state of emergency on their hands.

Evelyn left Lori in the waiting room and led Rick to an operating theatre in the quieter part of the hospital, which did bring him some sort of relief, but he was still unnervingly worried and wanted to see Michonne as quickly as possible. He imagined that she was possibly frightened too and she most definitely would have preferred to have her parents close by, so Rick made a note in his mind to call them the first chance that he could.

After changing into some scrubs and a mask, he stood by while several medics hastily moved around the theatre, obscuring his view of Michonne. He caught sight of her hand when it fell off the operating table and dangled off the side until one of the medics grabbed it and placed it back at her side. Rick's nerves stood to attention when he realized she wasn't awake.

"She's fine", Evelyn declared as she pulled her own mask over her face, "They probably gave her some general anesthesia because we don't have much time. Go on, you can stand beside her"

Rick did as suggested and placed himself at the top of the table, standing above her head. He inspected her face carefully, looking for any indication that she was in distress but found nothing. All the muscles in her face were relaxed, her mouth slightly parted to make way for a large, clear tube. He touched her cradled the side of her face protectively, feeling overwhelmed by how fast everything was moving. She did look fine, and he could see that she was breathing but too many things about their setting made him uncomfortable.

"Alright, we need to have that incubator ready", A man announced as he stood on the other side of the medical curtain that blocked Rick's view from Michonne's bottom half, "I want this tiny person in there as soon as she's cleaned up"

Rick heard faint laughter behind him but couldn't look anywhere else but at Michonne.

"You the father?"

He still didn't look up, but answered assertively, "I am"

"Well don't worry, we'll be done before you can even say ' _birth control_ '...", The surgeon chuckled to himself as he started doing things that Rick couldn't see, "...Now let's see if we can get to the baby in under five minutes... We might even be able to get her out while she's still in the sac, which by the way… will be the coolest thing you'll ever see in your entire life"

Rick ignored the man's commentary and leaned down to whisper in Michonne's ear, "I hope you're doing alright"

He noticed some kind of band-aid on her temple and remembered how she'd banged her head. He quickly remembered how he panicked when he saw that she was unconscious after their accident. He feared the worst, but she came around by the time the ambulance arrived. The other driver apologized profusely but pleaded with Rick to let him go to the hospital. Rick only agreed because he saw a sickly young boy in the man's car, possibly around the same age as Carl. He let him go, but not without getting his license plate number before he sped off.

"...We just gotta' get passed this slippery part and move that over here… and…", The surgeon squinted downward for a few nerve-wracking moments, then made a sigh of relief as his large brown eyes lit up, "And we got her!... Jesus, little fighter, isn't she?"

Rick slowly stood up straight to look at the smiling surgeon; then at the newborn, he held in his hands. To say that he was delighted would be an understatement. He felt complete and utter euphoria. His daughter had a full head of hair, and the smallest hands and feet he'd ever seen. She squirmed once or twice as if she were trying to figure out where she was, and Rick felt his eyes sting with tears.

"Alright, let's get her wrapped up", The man instructed, handing her over to the army of nurses who were waiting. In the blink of an eye, they had his daughter cleaned and up and placed in the incubator, where they began sticking penny sized circular disks on her chest and a band on her wrist.

Rick used the back of his wrist to wipe his eyes before he crouched down beside Michonne, "You did great, Michonne"

"It takes a while for the anesthesia to wear off but she'll probably drift in and out for a while", Evelyn popped up on the other side of him, "You can come over and see the baby while they get her fixed up"

Rick released a long exhale, hoping to get some control over his emotions. He gently kissed the top of Michonne's forehead on his way up, then crossed the room to see what was going on with his new infant. He wiped his eyes a second time, not wanting his tears in the way of his view. He couldn't believe that he finally had a daughter. Her eyes were clamped shut, and her arms and legs flailed aggressively. So much personality was already starting to shine from her tiny little chest, and it made him beam with joy.

"We don't get many like her", A voluptuous, blonde haired woman chuckled and slapped a hand on Rick's back, "But we're glad when we do. It's a good sign"

Rick truly felt triumphant. He wanted to tell everyone about his special delivery and wished he had his friends and family with him but he was desperate for Michonne to wake up first. It was a moment that he was meant to share with her above anyone else, but he had to wait, so while they finished up in the operating room he stepped out to find Lori, who was sitting anxiously on the edge of her chair a few rooms away.

"She's perfect", He choked out happily as he trudged over to his ex-wife, "She's so small, but she… She was kicking and eveythan'..."

Lori slapped her hand on her chest as she gasped and jumped out of her seat, "So she's fine? They both are? Are they still in there?"

"She's fine but Michonne's not up yet. They said she'd come around soon", He looked back towards the hallway, "They're gonna' take them upstairs but I need to call… I need to call everyone"

"I called your parents, and I told them to hold off because it's getting late and they have Carl...", Lori quickly informed, "I called Daryl and he said he'd let the department know- He was out somewhere but he said he'd come over here as soon as he could"

He gave her a knowing look when he met his ex-wife's gaze, "Thank you. I mean it, you've really¬"

She waved a dismissive hand at him, "Oh enough of that- When do I get to see the baby?"

Rick rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't see why you can't come up for a little while¬"

"I thought you'd be in here", Evelyn appeared, pulling her mask off as she stepped into the waiting area, "We're taking them up now"

"Yeah? Alright- uh, can my… Wife… take a quick look?", Rick tried to sound normal but it was an odd request.

Evelyn nodded, a smile plastered on her face like it wasn't unusual for a man to ask if his wife can see his newborn child that he shared with someone else, "Yeah sure, but it has to be quick because they're pretty strict about visiting here"

"I just want a little peek", Lori added for good measure, "I won't even take a minute"

"Okay, come on."

Michonne and his newborn had been wheeled out of the operating room and into the hall, waiting by a nearby elevator. Rick was glad that their ride was taking so long to arrive because it meant that Lori good really get a chance to look at his daughter, and she began to coo as soon as she saw her, "God, she's so _tiny_ , Rick! Her head's the size of a tennis ball!"

"It is", He agreed, tilting his head as he looked at the little infant, "I can't wait until she opens her eyes"

"She's precious…", Lori sighed adoringly as she tipped her head to the side, her brown eyes dancing up and down the length of his daughter, "I don't even think Carl was this small at any stage of my pregnancy"

Rick grinned at her joke, "He was a big boy, and he's gonna' big brother"

"I think he'll be the best big brother he can", Lori began to cup her own cheek with her hand but quickly sprang up when there was a chime to signal the arrival of the elevator, "Oh great, time to go"

"Sorry about that", Rick gave her an apologetic look, "You can stop by tomorrow, and meet Michonne properly"

"Oh of course. I didn't even get to see…", Lori's sentence came to a rolling stop when she looked over to the bed that carried Michonne just as the porters turned it around. Her eyes narrowed into a squint before widening to their fullest. She spun her head back around to gawk at the baby in the incubator, and finally back to Rick, "Uh…"

He stepped out of the way so that Evelyn and another member of staff could begin moving his daughter, "I'll call you later"

His ex-wife seemed to be a daze, "Yeah… yeah… tomorrow- Call me… We'll talk later… or tomorrow or… just- just call me"

Rick wasn't sure of what to think of Lori's strange reaction, but he wasn't given much of a chance to mull it over as they were taken to the third floor, and Michonne was wheeled into one room and their daughter was taken across the hall, which was easier for him. There wasn't much he could do while Michonne slept so glued himself to the spot beside his daughter's bed. The midwives spoke with him about the type of care she'd receive and the kind of development they hope to see, so Rick paid close attention so that he could repeat it all to Michonne when she woke up. When he was finally given the chance to touch his daughter, he went straight for her hand and slipped his pinky finger into her grip. He cried once again, wishing he could really hold her in his arms. He didn't even know how long he'd been stood there staring at her, watching her little chest rise and fall when it was brought to his attention that Michonne had finally woken up, so he crossed the hall excitedly.

"Hey there", Rick rasped in a whisper, strutting up to her bedside with a wide smile, "How are you feeling?"

Michonne groaned she blinked up at the ceiling, "...Horrible"

He perched on the edge of the bed so she wouldn't have to turn to much to see him, "I'll let them know, they can give you somethan' for that"

She tipped her head to see him and spoke in a hoarse tone, "Why isn't she in here?"

Rick took her hand between his, noticing that it was cold to touch so he began to rub it tenderly between his own, "Because she needs to be kept warm and they wanna' keep an eye on her… But she's just across the hall and she's doing just fine so far"

He could see that she was unhappy about something but too drugged up to really show it through her expression. He knew he was correct with his assumption because her eyes started to glisten as she spoke softly, "I want to see her"

"You will, but you have rest first", He used his thumb to stroke the back of her hand. He saw her face start to crumble before she used her other hand to shield herself from him. He gave her a gentle squeeze, "Hey? What's wrong? She's fine- Aren't you happy?"

"No…", She scoffed with disbelief, as if the answer should have been obvious to him, "I… I missed it- I missed everything and I… I wake up and I can't even see her or hold her yet, and I just... I just want to see her"

Rick felt unbelievably helpless, "I know, and I'm sorry, I know we didn't expect thangs to go this way but you will see her, and I promise that you'll be the first to hold her when we can. I won't let anyone take that away from you"

She sniffed as she wiped her eyes roughly, "God, what is _wrong_ with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you. You just woke up and you want to see your baby; that's how you're meant to feel", He assured her tenderly, hoping to get her to relax, "And I think she's ready to meet you. She looked like was trying to get back in there when they took her out"

She ever so slightly smirked as she averted her gaze back up to the ceiling, "I can't believe this"

"Believe it. You're a mother now", He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a little peck on her knuckles, "Congratulations"

"...Thanks", She sounded exhausted, "Same to you. Again."

Rick sat back and looked towards the doorway, "...I'm gonna' give your parents a call on my way out… I still need to stop by the department- and probably get you some stuff¬"

"My mom can handle that", She ran a hand over her face, then sighed, "Don't worry about it"

Rick eyed her curiously as he asked, "...Are we still doing that?"

Her drowsy brown eyes looked over to him. Even in her tired and drug influenced state, she knew what he was talking about, "She knows what to get, Rick. That's all"

He tucked the topic away, hoping that she was now willing to let him help look after her. Not wanting to leave things on a strained note, he slowly stood up and placed her hand down gently on the bed, "I'll come straight back once I've handled a few thangs. Get some rest"

"I don't think I have a choice…", She replied lightly as her eyes rolled shut, "Wake me when you're here"

"Promise I will.", Rick left her to sleep, then checked on his newborn once more, then he checked on Michonne once again, but then forced himself to leave so he could return as soon as possible.

The truth was that he didn't feel comfortable leaving them in the hospital. So much of what he'd learned throughout the evening was still stuck in his mind and he couldn't relax until he knew that they were not in any imminent danger. Luckily for him, the floor that his daughter and Michonne were on was quiet and well managed, but when he reached returned the ground floor he found that it had quickly descended into pandemonium.

Staff at the hospital raced by him while residents of Kings County did their best to be seen. Rick stood center of it all and watched the busy scene for a few moments, trying to catch information from the passing conversations. Nothing that anyone said seemed to make any sense, so he snaked his way to the entrance and stepped outside, feeling the need to hurry to his damaged vehicle when he heard a familiar voice yell, "Hey!"

Daryl sprinted over to him from the squad car that was parked on the other side of a row of vehicles, "Where are you going? I was just coming to see Y'all"

Rick stopped and looked his friend up and down, "I was gonna' head to the department- what's going on?"

Daryl slowed down, his eyes darting over to the Hospital entrance, "Man, no one knows. They were talking to folks up in the city but lines went dead an hour ago."

Rick stared at the other man, "What did the Chief say?"

"He's got us all out, telling people to stay in their homes until we get word from somebody", Something about Daryl's tone told Rick that his friend didn't agree with the instruction.

"And what's he doing?", He questioned, not sure if he agreed with that instruction either.

"What do you think? He went home", Daryl's top lip curled with disgust as he spat out the information, "Left us to figure it out"

Rick exhaled through his nose as his eyes surveyed the parking lot, "It's no better in there. One of the Nurse's told me that everyone's sick with the same damn thang but they don't know what"

"Yeah? That's what we heard from Atlanta", Daryl began to frown as he looked back at the hospital, "Michonne still in there?"

"Yeah. She had the baby. She had to have surgery."

Daryl's head whipped around to look back at Rick. His typically dull and interested green eyes seemed to brighten up with a hint of excitement, " _Yeah_?"

"Yeah."

His friend blinked at him as the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly into a crooked smile that didn't appear for long, "Well congrats, man… But, uh… You gon' keep them in there?"

Rick placed both hands at his sides as he peered back at the building, noticing that he could see shadows moving hurriedly across most windows. He almost shuddered, "They're alright where they are for now, but I think we should have a couple officers over here¬"

His sentence came to a halt when he saw the lights in and around the building shut off, leaving everyone inside in darkness. He and Daryl eyed the hospital with concern, ready to jump into action when they heard a nightmarish scream erupted over the buzzing commotion of worried residents. Both men surged forward without hesitation.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

Michonne could have sworn that she was dreaming when she opened her eyes and saw a bloodied women slumped against the wall in her hospital room. She blinked several times while trying to clear her blurry vision. From what she could see in the low light, the woman held a blood-stained rag against her neck, panting as she looked around the room with wide and alert eyes. Michonne blinked hard again as she averted her gaze to the door nearby, only just realizing that there was a cabinet and a dresser pushed up against it.

"I ain't getting no answer man- the lines are still dead"

She rolled her head to the other side of the room where she saw Daryl and Rick by the window. They were just as bloodied as the red-haired women by the wall. Michonne squinted at them and was about to clear her throat so she could speak when she noticed something moving in her peripheral vision; her daughter, squirming in an incubator that was placed beside the top of her bed.

She knew it was her daughter. It had to be. Her eyes welled with both shock and delight. A little arm and leg reached for the sky as she fussed against the wires attached to her. Tears rolled across Michonnes nose bridge and dripped onto the pillow as she reached out her hand for her.

"Hey", Rick had noticed her move and hurried over, "You alright?"

"...What's going on?", Michonne sniffed, answering in a broken voice. Rick hesitated to reply; he glanced over at the wall by the door instead, prompting Michonne to look over there, too. When she saw that the woman was still there, it dawned on her that she definitely wasn't dreaming and there really was an injured woman bleeding against the wall. She repeated herself in panic, "Rick, what's going on?"

"The ambulance, it's here- I see it", Daryl announced from the window, "Shit… How we gonna' get her in there?"

Rick nodded as he looked at Michonne and his daughter, then towards the woman on the floor, "Evelyn? We gotta' go?"

The woman took a moment to find him with her eyes but when she did, she nodded, "Alright, I'm ready"

"Don't you gotta' change that?", Daryl asked as he moved deeper into the room, pointing at Evelyn's neck.

"Yeah", Evelyn breathed, placing a hand on the floor as she rose to her feet, "I will, just make sure you have everything first: spare cables, feeding bottles, blankets, medicine…"

Michonnes breaths began to shallow as she looked at Rick and Evelyn hurriedly. She didn't understand what was happening but was almost too scared to ask, "Rick…"

He didn't hear her, "And how do we get her in there?"

"Ethan is driving, he'll help secure her- there are generators in the ambulance just in case but she's got a new battery so she'll make it just fine for the trip. As soon as you get her there they'll get her hooked up to a mains", Evelyn placed a hand against the wall to steady herself, "Come on, there's not much time"

Rick looked down at Michonne, "Alright, come on"

"What's going on?", She asked once again, watching as he began to tuck the sheets under her legs, " _Rick_?"

"Get the chair", Rick instructed as he lifted Michonne off the bed, causing her to take a sharp intake, "It's alright, I've got you"

She clung to him, "What is going on- I'm not meant to move¬"

"It's okay, it's just to get you in the chair", Evelyn reassured her but all she did was draw Michonnes attention to that fact that it was taking her longer to blink, "We can check on you once we get to the clinic"

"Rick", Michonne breathed his name through gritted teeth as he sat her in the wheelchair, "What is happening right now?"

Rick paused. His brow was pebelled with sweat and little freckles of blood were splattered on his face. He shook his head as he replied, "You're about to see"

Michonne wanted to question him further but was distracted by the sound of metal scraping the floor. Daryl was moving the furniture away from the door while Evelyn began moving the incubator in its direction, "I'll go first. If we get stopped then just remember, ground floor, then two lefts and a right; the staff parking lot is clear so just get out there"

"Got it", Daryl replied roughly as they switched places; he stood behind the incubator and took a glance at the squirming infant, "Let's go".

Michonne wanted to blame her trembling limbs on the medication pulsing through her veins but she knew it was because of fear. She didn't know what she would see beyond the door to her room but she didn't have to wait long to find out since Evelyn yanked them open with what little strength she had left and led them into a miniature war zone. The first thing she heard was infant cries coming from the room across from hers but she didn't see why. Screams filled the air. Orders were being barked from every direction. She could see military men sprinkled here and there, shooting into rooms and down adjacent hallways. Hospital beds and drips were discarded on the ground and the odd patient or doctor through the mayhem, either covered in blood or bleeding profusely. She tried to keep her eyes glued to Daryl's back but found herself looking from one way to the other in panic.

"The service elevator should be clear", Evelyn insisted while pressing the button beside the big heavy door with urgency, "We'll make it"

Michonne was on the verge of hyperventilating. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the blood covered walls and doors until Rick blocked her view with his face, "Hey? Hey- It's okay¬"

"Oh my God!", Evelyn cried, pointing down the hall with a shaking, bloodstained hand.

Michonne looked behind her as best she could and instantly regretted it dawned on her that she was witnessing something very unnatural. She could see three people huddled over a fourth person on the ground. It was hard to tell what they were doing at first but a woman raised her head as she tried to pull apart some kind of organ apart with her teeth. She succeeded, and blood drenched her chin and hands as she began chewing eagerly.

"Come on!", Daryl barked as the elevator doors flew open.

Against her better judgment, Michonne didn't look away and was able to see a bullet fly through the women's head while she was still in the middle of chewing. Rick wheeled her away before she could see anything else but she heard the military personal yelling and more shots fired.

The elevator fell silent once the doors closed. Rick and Daryl both began looking at their guns while Evelyn leaned against the wall for support as she was still panting. Michonne looked at her daughter and saw that the little girl was still squirming around but less violently. Michonne felt herself begin to gag.

"It's probably the medicine… and everything else", Evelyn piped up as she made her way over to her, "Lean to the side if you need to throw up¬"

Michonne took the advice and did as she was told, leaning to the side as she spewed a green substance onto the floor.

"You'll feel better after that", Evelyn smirked. She moved Michonne's dreads away from her face and handed her a surgical mask, "Here. Wipe."

Michonne took it and wiped her mouth as she sat back in the chair.

"You okay?", Rick asked as he appeared on the other side of her, his eyes darting all over her with concern.

"What… _the hell_ … is going…", Michonne didn't get to ask her question of the day again. The Elevator came to a halt and everyone went back to their original positions.

They were greeted to a similar scene once again, but with even more people and even more screams. Evelyn ran into the chaos first and the men followed her. There were more dead bodies in view on the ground floor. The men had to navigate around them while trying to avoid others. Michonne clung to the handles on the wheelchair and tried not to focus on the corpses that they passed.

"This way!", Evelyn yelled, and they took the first left, then another one shortly after, "We can stop at the supply closet on this floor¬"

Michonne watched with horror as Evelyn fell to the floor with a man in a white coat. It was a doctor, who quickly began biting the skin away from her cheek. Daryl stopped and shot the man point blank in the head with next to no hesitation. Evelyn shoved him off of her and began holding her face as her breathing pattern changed, "Let's g-go!"

Rick and Daryl looked at each other, then back at Evelyn as they nodded, "Alright, come on!"

Evelyn pulled herself up sluggishly and grabbed an already bloody sheet from the floor. She held it to her face as she started running again and Michonne was in awe of her determination to keep going, even after being attacked so violently. They finally made it to the last turn and Michonne was pleased to see that this hallway was emptier than the others. She was shaking so much that she couldn't even hold onto the handles properly.

"This- this is it….", Evelyn was as white as the sheet that she held when she pushed on the large bar that opened the double doors, "Last… hurdle"

As soon as they were in the parking lot Michonne could hear a combination of sirens, screams, and gunfire. A white beam passed over them as a helicopter circled the hospital until a sonic boom shook the ground. Seconds later a bright orange glow illuminated the sky in the distance. The helicopter changed its path and headed in that direction with haste, leaving them with only dim lights from the building.

"Ethan! Get them to the medical clinic!", Evelyn ordered to the driver when he stepped out of the Ambulance, "I spoke with Sherry- she's there, she said it's empty because they were closed today- get them hooked up as soon as possible"

Ethan looked her up and down as he asked, "What the hell happened to you¬"

"Do it now! Go!"

Michonne had to sit back and watch as Ethan maneuvered her daughter into the back of the ambulance while Daryl and Rick stood nearby, keeping their eye out for any other threats. As soon the incubator was in, Evelyn put one hand one Michonnes shoulder and began spilling information into her lap, "She needs to be kept warm above anything else. Warm and clean. As soon as she's big enough to start breastfeeding- do it. The same goes for you; keep the wound clean and if you can avoid doing anything then do it, okay?"

Michonne frowned as she grabbed hold of her hand, "You're not coming?"

"No- I'm not.", Evelyn shook her head regretfully as she peered at her with heavy lids, "There are still babies in there that I have to protect"

Michonne's shoulders slumped when she remembered hearing the infants cry. She immediately nodded, "But thank you"

"We gotta' get going", Rick began to scoop Michonne up slowly, "Evelyn- I don't think I can ever thank you enough¬"

"You don't have to, I'm just…", She took a deep breath, "Doing my job"

Rick gave her a meaningful look.

"Alright, go on guys- get them out of here", She gave her final instruction before backing away slowly.

Michonne was sat in the back in the ambulance beside the incubator while Rick was perched near the front. Daryl was seated with Ethan in the cabin and all three men looked out the windshield as they drove out of the parking lot but Michonne peered out of the windows on the back doors; checking to see if Evelyn made it back inside the building but was crushed to witness the helpful nurse collapse as she reached the doors.

That proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back, as Michonne finally broke down and began crying hysterically. She had figured out what was happening but it still didn't make any sense to her. She wanted to restart the day again but with the option to not leave her bed; that way her daughter would still be safely in her womb and she wouldn't have had to witness anything as traumatic as dead bodies everywhere.

"...We don't know what's going on", Rick sighed as he crouched in front of her, "I'm sorry. Everything just went from bad to worse and… there are people out there that are dying but… they aren't dead. They're attacking people- trying to eat them. We don't know why or how we just know that we need to get away from them. The clinic was closed, it's small too so we can get you guys in there and make sure its locked up so you'll be safe… She told me what I need to do to look after you both and I will, okay?"

Michonne sniffed and looked away from him as she tried to calm down, "J-just give me a minute"

"Alright. I will.", He put his hand on her knee as he stood up and turned his attention to their daughter.

Michonne wiped her eyes as she tried to calm herself down with long, deep breaths. She had to forget about what she had just seen and focus on what was happening in the present, and the only way she could do that was by regaining control of her emotions. She looked into the incubator and saw that her daughter was fast asleep on her tiny legs and arms splayed at around her. Her chest rose and fell harshly but she looked peaceful enough.

"...These people aren't all in the hospital anymore. They couldn't contain them…", Rick spoke in a serious tone as he looked towards the front of the Ambulance, "...I need to get Carl… we all need to be in one place¬"

"My parents?", Michonne asked, leading him to look down at her.

He gave her a regretful look, "I got through to them when we were up in your room and the line cut out before I could find out where they were- they wanted to know where you were and I told them- I told them you gave birth and that we couldn't stay at the hospital but if they can get down here to your place then I'll get there tomorrow at noon- and I will. I mean it"

She averted her gaze elsewhere as she thought about what he had just said. It did nothing to soothe her but she could find relief in the fact that he spoke to them.

"If they aren't there tomorrow then I'll go back the next day¬", Rick grabbed hold of the incubator to steady it as the ambulance took a hard turn, "Hey!"

"Sorry! People are driving like maniacs!", Ethan called back, "We're almost there!"

Michonne was beginning to feel sick again so sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. Without any adrenaline coursing through her veins she was able to notice a dull pain in her lower half. She wasn't fit for travel, but she had no choice.

"Wait!", Rick called as he looked out the window in the back door, "We're on Lori's street"

"You wanna' stop and get them?", Daryl asked as he peered back at him.

"Yeah", Rick peered down at Michonne, "I'm gonna' meet you there, alright?"

Michonne didn't like that idea at all, but they needed to get to where they were going quickly so she simply nodded, "Okay."

Rick hesitated, but soon barked, "Stop here! I'm getting out!"

"Uh, okay!", Ethan pulled the vehicle to a screeching stop.

"I mean it, I won't be long", Rick promised before diving out of the ambulance. He gave the door two taps when he closed it, leaving Michonne to watch him sprint away in one direction while they went in another.

She could understand why he would want to go and get his son, but she didn't want him to leave them either. She was still trying to pull herself out of a state of sheer terror. She had to look within the incubator to remind herself that she had to snap out of it because she no longer had just herself to worry about.

They drove for a few more minutes before they turned into a driveway of a small building with only two storeys. It looked more like a home than anything else but it was on its own little lot on the edge of town. Ethan pulled up as close as he could, then looked at his two passengers, "Alright, let's do this"

Michonne's legs were a little unsteady but she managed to stand up and ignore the pain in her lower abs. Ethan came around and opened the door first, then helped her get down safely before beginning to move the incubator. Michonne looked around the neighborhood and noticed that people were either boarding up their homes or loading up their cars. News must have spread quickly.

The woman that Michonne assumed to be Sherry greeted them at the door and swiftly led them through the reception area and down the hall. It was a small medical clinic but it clean and nicely decorated. Sherry looked as though she belonged in the place; she was dressed neatly with little touches of glamour here and there.

"I found some clothes in the lost and found", Sherry informed as she took the clothing off of the bed while Ethan began setting up the incubator, "We wash them so don't worry about anythan'... Come next door- you can change there and I can give you some other thangs…"

Sherry gave her a large blue sweatshirt with the center's logo on the front, along with a pair of thick black leggings and bright red socks with white hearts stitched on the sides. Michonne didn't care. She let Sherry help her change because the pain was getting harder to ignore, "Do you have any kind of pain relief or something?"

"Of course", Sherry nodded as she threw the hospital gown that Michonne wore to one side, "I'm gonna' get you all sorted out before I leave so you'll be fine"

Michonne stared at her back for a moment as she realized that she would want to get to her family too. Everyone did, including herself.

When she went back into the first room, the incubator was making a gently beeping sound and there was now a blue light shining down on her daughter. Ethan stood back and eyed his handiwork, "The backup generators are running here and they should last for forty-two hours- which will give you guys enough time to refuel. They only take diesel, so the more you get now then the better you'll be in the long run in case you gotta' wait it out here for a while"

"Only diesel. Got it.", Michonne repeated, "Where do we refuel?"

"Outback. I'll show you before I leave", Ethan motioned towards the incubator again, "If the power goes out then this has a battery that'll last twelve hours…"

Michonne and Daryl both listened to the man as he explained the machine to them. She remembered as much as she could so that she could note it all down later, but fortunately for both of them, it seemed simple enough.

"Alright, I gotta' get going", Sherry rushed into the room and held out a set of keys to Ethan, "Here you go"

Ethan shook his head as he threw up his hands to stop her, "I'm leaving too"

Sherry's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Wait- what?... We can't just leave them here- we don't know if anybody's coming in tomorrow¬"

"Have you looked outside? Of course, nobodies coming in tomorrow!", Ethan scoffed at her as he zipped up his jacket, "Leave them with the officer"

"Give 'em here", Daryl rasped in an annoyed tone, "What are they for?"

Sherry reluctantly handed them over, "Front door, back door, shed in the back, basement and storage rooms- Only fully trained medical staff can go in there¬"

"Yeah yeah", Daryl snarled as he started for the door, "Got it"

Michonne felt as if she would panic again but shook the feeling away. Not having one of the medics with them was a little worrying but she was going to remember everything that they said because her daughter's life depended on it. She thanked them both before they left her alone in the room, and after hovering in the same spot for a while, she rushed to the window to close the curtains, then to the door to make sure no other light was left on. Even though she hadn't seen any other 'infected' person since they left the hospital, she still felt the need to make sure they were hidden away.

"Are you leaving too?", She asked Daryl when she found him in a tiny staff canteen.

He glanced back at her from over his shoulder as he rummaged through the cupboards, "Nah… Might need to though. Ain't much food in here… And I ain't got much bullets left… Need to stock up on that stuff if you're gonna' be here a while"

She eyed his back as he moved around, "Go now then"

He turned his whole head around to look at her, "...I'll wait 'til Rick gets back."

"No. Go now. Everyone else might have the same idea as you so you need to get what you can get now", She explained, "It would be stupid to wait. You saw what everyone out there was doing so we should do the same"

Daryl continued to stare at her with a hint of uncertainty.

"I'll be fine. So will she. So go", Michonne made sure that her voice carried a little firmness to it so that he knew that she was serious.

A few more silent moments passed before he replied, "I'll leave in a sec'..."

The need to do what they can now in order to be prepared later was all Michonne can think about, but she had to sit down and wait for the pain medication to kick in and she had to wait for Rick's return, so she sat herself down in her new room and listened for the odd noise nearby. She wondered what everyone else may have seen on the news, and just how bad this problem was. The fact that the military was involved suggested to her that it wasn't something that would just blow over, which only fueled her worry for her family and friends.

A gentle gurgle snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked towards the incubator on alert. She took her time standing up and gingerly made her way over to her daughter, "Hey, you"

She caught her daughter closing her eyes and her heart skipped with excitement. She searched the room for gloves and pulled out a box from under the counter. She washed her hands vigorously before putting on a pair, then took her time reaching inside the heated device to touch her. She reached for her little hand first and slipped her finger in her hold. She didn't want to blink in case she missed anything, even though her waterline was holding back tears. Her infant daughter opened another eye, and to Michonnes surprise she wrinkled her little nose as she rolled her head the other way, as if she was uninterested in looking at her mother. Michonne chucked with disbelief as she breathed, "How dare you!"

She became so engrossed with her little bundle that it only struck her that she could hear voices from within the building when they were loud and clear. She stayed rooted in place in place as she listened closely, and when she heard a familiar southern twang she slipped back into her repose position. The sound of his boots hitting the floor made it to the room before he did, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he found her. He appeared puzzled, "You're meant to be laying down"

"I'm fine like this", She replied evenly as she looked him from head to toe, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. They're here", He came into the room and joined her by the incubator, "How is she?"

"She's a little cranky.", Michonne smirked, using her finger to stroke the baby's cheek gently, "But she's fine."

" _Cranky_?", Rick repeated curiously as he eyed the side of her face, "Already?"

"Seems like it", Michonne looked towards the clock on the wall, "When did she last eat?"

"Uh…", Rick narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall the information, "They started to feed her when I first left you back at the hospital…"

Michonne blinked at him.

"Two hours ago?", He sat one hand on his side and used the other to scratch his beard, " _Maybe_ three?"

"So she should be hungry now", Michonne was about to bend over to look in the little cabinet beneath the incubator bed, "Is everything in here¬"

"I'll get that", He stopped her, "And I need you to hold on a second…"

She peered at him with knitted brows, "What?"

He looked a tad nervous, "Carl, his mother and my mother are here"

Michonne felt all of her muscles stand to attention, "Oh, yeah, um, okay"

"...I can give you a minute then bring them in here?", He tilted his head to one side as he watched her closely, "Maybe you can sit down?"

"I'm fine standing, Rick", She insisted.

His gaze cascaded down the length of her as he sighed, "Michonne, please? You sit down, I'll get them in here and then I'll get her bottles ready so you can feed her."

He was bargaining with her. Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to produce a counter-argument as a woman's voice called, "Rick?"

He glanced over his shoulder at the door, then back to Michonne. He raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes before stepping over to the hospital bed. He answered in a loud enough whisper once she sat down, "In here!"

Michonne felt as if his nerves had passed onto her as she waited for someone to appear. Two sets of footsteps made their way up the hall until she saw a brunette stick her head out for Michonne to see from beyond the door frame, and a head of equally brown hair did the same. She smiled awkwardly as she greeted, "Hey!"

"Hello", Michonne perked up as she waited for them to really enter the room.

"Michonne, this is Lori. Lori, Michonne", Rick introduced them to each other from where he stood in the room.

The woman was slender with long wavy hair that fell over her shoulder. She looked friendly enough as she approached Michonne with her hand held out in front of her, "It's great to finally meet you"

"You too", Michonne tried to match her tone but found it difficult to do so with a dry throat, though she shook her hand. She snuck a brief view of Rick and saw that he had begun looking in and around the incubator with a little speed as if he were in a hurry to find something in particular.

"Helen's just freshening up but um, uh…", Lori looked Carl, who was hiding away outside of the room, "Carl, get in here please?"

Carl moved himself from behind the door frame, his face hidden by a brown sheriff's hat. He trudged over to his mom and stood at her side as he lifted his head to see who he was being introduced to and Michonne could have gasped when she saw how much he looked like his father. He spoke in a small voice, "Hi"

"Hi", Michonne said back, trying not to grin like a maniac since she didn't want to make him anymore uncomfortable, "Nice to meet you, Carl"

"...You too."

Lori blew out a breath, "Sorry, he wasn't happy about having to quit his video game to come here…"

"It's fine. I get it", Michonne joked lightly.

Lori seemed to be fidgeting, "So, how are you holding up?"

"Fine, actually. I mean… it hasn't been easy but… we're here now"

"Found them", Rick announced as he stood up straight and held up two tiny cylinders, "The bottles"

Lori gasped as she looked towards the machine that housed the infant, "Oh, how is she?"

"Cranky, apparently", Rick snuck a peak in Michonne's direction, "Just getting ready to feed her."

Lori put her arm around her son as she asked, "Do you see the baby Carl?"

Rick's head whipped around to see his son's reaction while Michonne held her breath. Carl looked past his mother to see what she was talking about, and he immediately frowned, "A baby? Where?"

"In there. It's Michonne's little baby girl", Lori looked from Michonne to Rick, "...Isn't she sweet?"

Carl shrugged as he agreed, though Michonne wasn't sure if he could actually see her from he stood, "Yeah"

All the adults shared a knowing look, Rick stepped forward, and signaled for his son to join him, "Come and get a better look buddy"

Carl did as he was told, while Lori continued to fidget, "...We brought some food along with us if you're hungry? Just some snacks, some tea…"

Michonne could eat if she were being honest but didn't want to impose, so she decided that she would rather starve for a while longer, "Thank you, but I'm fine- honestly"

Lori raised her eyebrows at her, "Are you sure? When's the last time you guys ate something?"

"Hours ago", Rick answered as he turned back to face the women, "You need to eat somethan'... It's been a while¬"

"You guys in here?", Another woman's voice rolled up the hall.

"Yeah, mom", Rick backed up towards the door so that his mother could see where they were, "Come one"

"I'm coming, I'm _coming_."

Michonne noticed that Lori's naturally awkward smile immediately became something tight and strained. She figured out why that was soon enough, as around the corner came the small, blonde-haired woman with warm brown eyes that Michonne had bumped into early that afternoon. The same woman that seemed more shocked by what Michonne looked like, rather than because she'd almost ran her over with her shopping cart. The woman known as Helen gasped when she saw Michonne and slapped an old hand against her bony chest plate.

Michonne simply looked in Rick's direction as she grew visibly annoyed, "Are you _kidding_ me?".


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

"...I've seen people eating other people. Just...Getting their throats _ripped_ out of their neck… torn apart like they were a slice a bread or somethan'... And the military- they were taking people out everywhere. We could barely make it around all the dead bodies… and I didn't think that we would at one point but we did. As soon as we got out of there all I cared about was getting everyone I cared about as far away from that place as I could. That's been the most important thang all night and I think that it will continue to be the most important thang from here on out... So I need to know why somethan' so _unimportant_ has taken priority to you?"

Rick watched his mother through narrowed eyes as he tried to understand the reason behind her behavior. When he had seen her gasping for air like a fish out of water and clinging to the door frame in shock, it didn't even occur to him that she was reacting that way because of Michonne's appearance. He immediately thought that all the events of the evening had caught up with her and she was having a heart attack. That would have been the more rational explanation, in his mind.

He had finally felt like he had made a breakthrough with Michonne in the moments leading up to that point. In spite of everything around them falling to pieces, she was allowing him to help take care of her with little resistance. He was even convinced that she didn't want him to leave her when they were in the back of the ambulance. Whether that was because of fear or worry; he couldn't tell, but there was a monumental moment where she felt like she needed him and he was going to get his chance to prove to her that he was a man of his word, but It would take only a few seconds for all of his progress to unravel because of his mother.

It took him several tense seconds to figure out why his mother was having a breakdown, all the while Michonne was on her feet and ready to leave the clinic, which as ridiculous as Rick thought that was, he didn't doubt for one second that she really would have left the building with the incubator in tow. He managed to calm her by putting her focus back on their newborn, while Lori took his mother elsewhere to have her panic attack.

Now he was sat across the woman that he was meant to value above all, and it was his turn to be angry. She was perched on an examination chair across from him, holding a small cup of water in her trembling hand while supporting her head with the other hand. Anyone would have thought that she was shaken up because she'd learned about the gruesome scene at the hospital. He urged her to speak, "Well, go on then?"

"Goddammit' Rick", She snapped, looking up at him with an angry set of brown eyes, "Can you just give me a moment?"

"What the hell do you need a moment for?", He cocked his head to the side as he looked at her, "Well, mom?"

She sat up straight as her eyes looked him up and down, "...Why on earth didn't you tell me? Huh? _Why_?"

Rick gave her the most incredulous look, "Why would I need to tell you?"

His mother mimicked his expression, "Why would you need to¬ Of course you tell me! You don't just- waltz over to the family with somethan' like that! You sit us down and you let us know exactly what you've done¬"

"I did. That's exactly what happened", He ejected sardonically, "What you mean to say is that I should have sat you down to let you know what she looks like"

"Oh, don't do that", She scoffed at him, "Don't make me out to be some kinda', uh- kind of _racist_ "

Rick blinked at her, "Well if the shoe fits?"

She was taken back by his reply, " _Excuse me_? Hold on- Wait a Goddamn minute, because you're throwing words and insinuations around that I don't like!"

Rick couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wondered if he wasn't communicating properly or if he was just missing her point, "Really? I'm doing somethan' that you don't like?"

"Don't get smart with me", She warned, "Have you even met her parents? How do you know that they¬"

"I met her parents", He shot back, "And neither of them put on a show like you just did"

His mother cocked her head at him, "You don't know what they said behind closed doors"

"No, that's true I don't. But do I think that was an issue for them? No, not at all. If it was then at least they had the decency to compose themselves better than you could"

His mother's expression darkened, "Cut that out"

"You realize you looked ridiculous, right?", He narrowed his eyes at her a second time, "With everythan' that's happening right now- This is what gets you so worked up?"

"You know how thangs are around here, Rick", She shook her head as she peered at him with sheer disbelief, "What the hell did you expect¬"

"The nurse that helped us out of the hospital was white. She got attacked twice and I can only hope that she got the help she needed in there because she was bleeding all over the place but she still got up and made sure we got out", Rick stared down at his mother, "You think she shouldn't have helped us because Michonne didn't look like her? Or that she shouldn't have helped your granddaughter for the same reason?"

"That is not the way that I feel and you know it", His mother dropped the cup down on the counter beside her, "This just isn't the kind of thang that we take lightly around here. We don't mix that way because they have their way of doing thangs and we have ours and thangs have always been good around here because of that¬"

"Do you think any of that matters right now? I mean, it shouldn't have mattered _before_ but now? Right this very moment?", Rick's tone dropped several octaves, "You know that they're dropping bombs somewhere near the city? I saw it¬ We all did, so do you know what that means?"

His mother snapped her mouth shut and her eyes scrutinized his face.

"It means that there's a pretty big problem going on, bigger than that chip on your shoulder, and If you think that these people that are attacking everyone care about what color you are then I hate to break it to you but that ain't the case. So that means that the definition of 'us' and 'them' in your mind is gonna' change because there ain't no three or four ways about it. _Anyone_ can get attacked. It's that simple."

The color drained from his mother's face as she let that message sink in.

"I can't even believe that I have to talk to you about this", He gave her a disbelieving smirk as he shook his head, "I'm meant to be in that room making sure that both of my children are alright and that their mothers have everythan' they need to take care of them while I try and figure out just what the hell I need to do to keep you all safe and you were meant to be in there helping them¬"

"I have the right to react, and I have the right to think what I want and you can't judge me for that, only the lord can", His mother breathed, looking up to the ceiling as if she could see someone.

Rick rolled his eyes as he turned and stalked towards the door, about to leave his mother alone but stopped to leave her with a final message, "...I don't want you in there, or around Carl. I mean it. They're all getting along just fine in there and I don't want you ruining that. If you can't get over yourself then… just keep your distance."

He hated having to talk to her in such a way but he was astounded to learn his mother held those kind of views. He tried to remember a point in his life where his mother behaved questionably but he came up short; he'd never witnessed her express unkind views about anyone because of their race, nor his father. It simply didn't make any sense to him and he was largely hurt by her behavior. The day had finally came that he could introduce his parents to his little girl and it weren't nothing like he'd expected in more ways than one.

"...Why does she look like that?", He heard his son ask as he crept back into the other room. Carl was anchored to his mother's side as they gazed into the incubator while Michonne was nearby, reading a sheet of paper as she held a bottle in her hand and obviously trying to figure out just how they fed their daughter.

"Because she wanted to come into the world early", Lori snaked an arm over his shoulder as she answered him, "So she's really, really, small"

Carl frowned as he peaked at Michonne from behind his mother. He asked quietly, "What's her name?"

Lori paused, her eyes darting up to meet Rick's then over to Michonne, "I don't think that's something you got around to?"

Michonne shook her head as she lowered the sheet, "...No, we¬ I didn't…I think ' _baby_ ' will do for now…"

"You need some help with that?", Rick offered as he stepped closer to Michonne, "Evelyn told me what to do"

"Uh, should I go…", Lori tilted her head towards the wall, indicating that she was talking about his mother. Rick simply shook his head and she sighed, "Alright. Come on Carl, let's go sort out those bags. You hungry?"

"Yeah, can I have some cereal?", Carl asked as he tore his gaze away from the baby.

"Sure…If we can find a bowl or something...", Lori looked back at the other adults, "And I'll bring some sandwiches in here"

"Thanks", Rick began looking for a piece of apparatus that Evelyn had shown him, "If you hear anythan' then¬"

"Find you. We know.", Lori frog marched Carl out the room, leaving Rick and Michonne to bumble around in silence.

"...I'm sorry about that, by the way", He finally offered quietly as he finally found what he was looking for. He turned and faced her, "I don't really know what to say about it… I'm just as surprised as you"

She didn't appear to accepting of his apology, "I wasn't surprised; just very annoyed"

It was a chilly response. Rick shifted his stance uncomfortably, "If I thought that that would be a problem then I would have handled thangs differently¬"

"You didn't know?", He noticed a slight wince on her face as she took a seat on the bed.

Rick realised how stupid he was about to sound, "I've never had a reason to suspect that she felt that way towards anyone. Never. She… She's always gotten on just fine with others, her and my dad."

"Until now", She muttered the first part of her sentence, "I don't have the patience for that."

"I'm not asking you to have the patience for that…", He tried to catch her attention but she was busying herself, "I… I don't know what else to say about it other than I'm sorry. I really am"

Rick couldn't tell if she believed him or not because she began looking at the items on the bed, "So how do I do this?"

"...You have to...uh", He moved closer to her and began fiddling around with one of the bottles, "You have to put this with this, and make sure it's on tight… then you put this part on you and press that button. Everythan' should go right in there"

Rick was ashamed to say that he awkwardly looked in the other direction when Michonne yanked up her shirt and took the pump from him. He only looked back because she said, "I think it's on"

"Alright", He kept his eyes on her face and not an inch lower, "Uh, do you want me to leave you to it?"

She shot him a strange look, "...If you have to go and do something then go ahead. I think I can work this out from here"

"Yeah, okay. I'll be right back."

Rick wanted to hit himself for his cringeworthy and awkward interaction with her. He put it down to the desperate he felt to help her relax and feel comfortable. They were all still struggling to digest everything that was happening around them but he could only imagine that it was even harder for her because she'd given birth prematurely, miles away from her family and friends, and she was hiding away with his family who were virtually strangers to her. Removing himself from the room for a short while would give her some much needed privacy.

"How are you doing, buddy?", Rick placed a hand on his son's shoulders as he came up behind him.

"Fine…", Carl looked up at his father with confusion, "But what's going on? Why are we here?"

Rick sighed as he glanced at Lori, who had slowly stopped rummaging through the cooler. He turned his son to face him, "Well there's been a lot of sick people running around town… So I wanted to get you guys somewhere safe"

Carl looked even more confused as he wrinkled his little nose at the answer, "So why couldn't we just stay at home?"

Rick had to think of his answer carefully, "Because I also have to help others, and this place has a lot of rooms so we have more space to help more people"

His son's brow smoothed, "Oh… So are we living here now?"

"...We'll be staying here for a while"

"...What about that lady and her baby?", Carl frowned, "Doesn't she have a family? A husband?"

Rick glanced at Lori again and she looked just as surprised as him at the question. Rick tried to reply in his usual tone, "Her family should be coming down here, too. I'm hoping that they will"

Carl began to nod his head and a few strands of chestnut brown hair fell to his forehead, "Okay... Where's grandma?"

"Resting, so let her do that.", Rick answered quickly, "Why don't you have somethan' to eat?"

"Okay."

Lori had managed to pack so many things in such a small window of opportunity that Rick was amazed to see the mountain of bags piled in one corner of the waiting room. She closed the cooler and lifted it by the handle as she stood up, "There should be a canteen or something here, right? Like a kitchen?"

"Yeah. In the back", Rick wiped his brow with the back of his hand as he replied.

"Okay, I'll take the coolers in there and Carl can take some sandwiches and tea to Michonne- I mean, I know what she said she wasn't hungry¬"

"She is", Rick ejected honestly as he walked up to one of the windows and began peeking through the blinds. He could only see a man across the street boarding up the windows to his home but not much else. The medical centre was hidden amongst tall willow trees that obscured their view either way.

"Where's the bathroom?", Carl asked his parents.

"I think I saw one just down that hall, the door was open and it looked like one", Lori answered, "Check first"

"Got it."

When Rick couldn't see anything else he moved away from the window and raked his fingers through his hair, "I'm gonna' have to go out looking for my dad when Daryl gets back…"

"He's probably looking for us", Lori peered behind her for a moment, then lowered his voice as she said, "What's the plan here because this doesn't seem like an ideal situation anymore?"

Rick scratched his brow as he thought about that, "No. It's not."

Lori took her time to respond, "...I don't want to sound like one of those people but don't you think you should have maybe let your parents know that she was…"

Rick gave his ex-wife the same look he gave his mother.

"Don't look at me like that!", She hissed, "You know that I don't care about things like that but people from that generation are usually less… Tolerant. They walk around with a view on life that's been drilled into them since they were young¬"

"I didn't think my parents were like that. They're my parents for God sake, they're the ones that raised me to treat everybody the same"

"Yeah, Rick, because everyone looked the same around here", Lori pointed out dryly, "The first time I ever saw anyone that looked different was on the TV and even then, my father made me turn it off"

Rick's eyes rolled away from her as he accepted her argument, and the more he thought about it the more annoyed he became.

"...Maybe she'll come around? Because she has to if she wants to be apart of her granddaughter's life…if her mother allows that"

Rick began to shake his head, "I don't know about that"

"I'll talk to her… I don't know how much I can help but I'll try. In the meantime you need to figure out just how we plan to tell Carl about…", Lori raised her eyebrows at him, "Because I don't like the idea of us hiding such a thing right under his nose"

"Neither do I", Rick ran his hands over his face, "Did you see the way he looked at her?"

"Yeah", Lori smirked, "Like you were showing him a book or something"

"I hope that changes…", Rick set his hands at his side's as he looked towards the hallway, "...I'm gonna' head back in there"

"Go ahead. I'll be in the kitchen, and I'll send Carl in there in a minute"

"Thanks", Rick looked through all the doorways on his way back to Michonne, wondering if he should start boarding up windows like the man he'd seen across the street, but that would mean that he'd need to go out in search of the supplies and he wanted Daryl to return before he did anything else.

His mother finally emerged from the room where he had left her just as he was about to see Michonne. She froze when she saw him and Rick waited to see what she would say or do. Her chest grew as she smoothed her shirt down and lifted her head high, then proceeded to walk down the hall with her stoney gaze away from him.

Rick shouldn't have been surprised because his mother could be quiet stubborn at times, but he thought having a new grandchild would mean more to her. He clenched his jaw out of frustration.

"I'm almost done", Michonne announced as she eyed the bottle attached to her breast, "I think…"

Rick stood next to the incubator and smiled when he said his daughter was still kicking up a fuss, "I guess you were right; she does seem a little cranky. Looks like she wants to fight everybody"

"I think I should leave her in there when I feed her. Evelyn said she has to stay warm"

Rick looked back at her, "It's warm in here. Not much different to the hospital"

Michonne plucked the pump from her body and Rick turned back around again like a nervous teenaged boy. A few moments later she was at his side, "We can take her out the on the next feed and crank up the heating a little more…"

He brushed his finger along the baby's cheek and his heart fluttered when her hand latched on to his finger, but the moment was short lived as she appeared to push his hand away from her. Rick eyebrows sprung up in surpise, "Did she just-"

Michonne snickered beside him, "It looks like she did. Don't take it personally."

"It's hard not to. I know she probably has no idea what she's doing but...that still hurt"

Michonne laughed a little louder as she tightened the top on the bottle, "She's a little mean. I think I might hold her head up-"

"Yeah, I saw them do it like that", Rick watched as Michonne slipped her hand beneath their baby's head and raised it off the blankets. He helped by supporting her tiny back with his own hand.

It took a moment for his daughter to open her mouth but after some gentle prodding she latched on and even opened an eye. The sight was enough to make Rick melt, and make Michonne tear up again, " _God_ , I can't keep crying"

"This is somethan' you're allowed to cry over", Rick used his other hand to rub Michonnes back in a tender, circular motion, "So don't worry about it"

"I need to cut it out", She sniffed as she wiped her cheek on her shoulder, "...Are you going to leave again soon?"

"I might have to. My dad… he left earlier to get somethan' from the house and we haven't had any word from him since so I need to find him… and we need to get some more stuff… I need to board up a couple windows-"

"...Um", Carl's voice came from the doorway, And Rick immediately dropped his hand from Michonnes back. Carl didn't appear to notice though, "My mom said to give this to you"

"Oh", Michonne looked around the room to see where his son could put the snacks, "Uh-"

"Go on, I'll take over", Rick insisted, "You need to eat something"

Michonne seemed reluctant to hand him the bottle at first, but she eventually did, then she took the container and bottle of juice from Carl, "Thank you, Carl"

"Its okay", Carl's eyes wandered over to his father, "...Why do you have to feed her like that? Is she sick, too?"

Rick shook his head, "No, she's just small so she needs help. She's got to stay in here so she's warm"

A line appeared between Carl's eyebrows, "...That's weird"

Rick sniggrred at him, "That's one way to sum it up"

His son took the smallest steps forward and joined his father. Rick couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he knew he wasn't that interested in the infant. He finally stopped frowning and asked, "I always thought it would be cool to have a little brother"

Rick visibly swallowed, "Yeah?"

"Yeah.", Carl shrugged, "Not like her though. _Bigger_. And older. And a boy."

Rick didn't know what to say to that. He discreetly looked back at Michonne and saw she was chewing very slowly as she eyed he and his son until the sound of a door slamming caught everyone's attention. Rick perked up, "Michonne-"

"I'm coming", She set aside the sandwich she was dating and hurried over to him.

"Carl stay in here", Rick instructed a little firmly as Michonne took over the feeding duty, "Don't come to front unless somebody says so"

"O-okay", Carl stepped back as he looked towards the door.

Rick had kept his pistol close since Daryl gave it to him at the hospital. He pulled it from his waistband and swiftly moved through the hallways until he was at the front of the building. He was relieved to see it was Daryl but confused to see him with a young Asian man and a rather round, older man with an injured finger and injured foot. Rick still held his pistol but lowered it as he asked, "What's going on?"

"Got into an accident", Daryl rasped as he closed the door behind them, "Obviously couldn't take him to the hospital"

"We just came from there", The Asian man explained breathlessly as he placed his hands on his knees, "It was crazy- he hurt his hand earlier and we were at Grady but it was really busy, and then there was a power cut and people started like, attacking each other so we hid in the supply closet until we could sneak out… I was going to take him to another hospital but then we got into an accident. I'm Glenn by the way, and this is Otis"

"Can I sit down, please? My foot is killing me!", Otis pleaded as he looked around for a seat. The heavy set man was panting like a dog with sweat pebbling on his bald head.

"The squad cars fucked", Daryl explained as he walked up to Rick, "But they said I could use their truck if I got 'em somewhere"

Rick frowned at him, "How'd you hit him?"

"They were on the side of the road. He stepped out and I caught his foot, drove straight into the back of another car. Ain't nobody in that one though"

Rick blew out a breath while Glenn spoke again, "The phones are still down- what are we going to do?"

"There's nothing we can do right now", Rick marched up to the window again, "We just need to load up supplies for now-"

"Is there a doctor here? Or a nurse or somethan'?", Otis asked as he slid down against the wall, "I'm hurtin' real bad"

"They all left", Rick spat the words from his mouth as he peered through the blinds, "But there might be some stuff back there to help you out for now"

"I think it's broken", Otis winced as he looked at his busted up shoe, "I can't move it"

"What's going on?", Lori appeared from the hall and looked around the waiting room skeptically.

"This is Glenn and Otis", Rick explained as he turned around, "They got into an accident-"

He cut his sentence mid-sentence when he heard a faint wail that was so high pitched that it sounded like a kitten crying. He dropped his hands from the blinds and looked past everyone else, his gaze lingering towards the hallway.

"Is that a baby?", Glenn asked curiously as he looked at all the other people in the room, "Or a... _cat_?"

"I'll be right back", Rick hurried out the room to investigate. It wasn't a harsh cry, but there was distress their all the same. He moved so fast that he slid up to the door and peered into the room with alert eyes, and all he saw was Michonne and Carl right where he left them. She raised her eyebrows at him, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine… I was just about to ask you the same thang", His eyes darted to the incubator.

"She's fine, she just spit up a little", Michonne explained as she wiped the newborn neck, "And she doesn't want to be cleaned"

"Oh", Rick breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are sick people here?", Carl probed urgently, "Where's mom?"

"Everythan's fine", He assured gently as he caught Michonne's attention, "Daryl came back but with two men that he got into an accident with. They asked for somewhere to stop by and get patched up, and they're gonna' let us use their truck in the meantime"

"...You're leaving?"

"Just for a little while. We need to get some stuff so we won't be going far", Rick held his son's shoulders, "We'll be back before you know it"

"...Okay…", Carl lowered his focus for a brief moment, "Can I go to mom?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Carl slipped by him and Rick watched his son disappear down the hall, while Michonne managed to stop their daughter from squealing, "Done."

"She's alright now?", He stepped further into the room.

"Fine. Clean, and more importantly; fed", Michonne removed her hands from the incubator and sighed, "Who are the 'men'?"

"Said their names, Glenn and Otis. They were at the hospital earlier and saw everythan'¬"

"Sounds like the guys that were meant to be building her furniture", Michonne furrowed her thin brows, "Otis hurt his hand"

Rick began to nod, "Yeah, sounds like 'em. He got his foot run over, too"

She cringed as she crossed her hands over her chest, "Oh."

"I'm gonna' head out now. Sooner we're gone the sooner we can get back", He took a peek at his pistol and wondered if he had enough bullets, "It's getting quiet out there and I don't know if that's a good or bad thang."

Her dark brown eyes sailed away from him for a second, "Okay. Be Careful."

Rick only hesitated to reply because he wanted to say something meaningful, something to reassure her but nothing seemed good enough. Not for someone like Michonne. He nodded his head, "Yeah. I will."

That would have been his cue to leave but she started to struggle with her word before she finally spat out, "...Thank you, is what I'm trying to say."

Ricks forehead creased as he frowned, "...You don't have to thank me for anythan'. I'm doing what I'm supposed to."

"No but I do", She tucked a stray lock behind her ear, "I can see that you're spreading yourself thin trying to be Superman and I appreciate it. You're doing a lot more than I would have expected from you"

Rick felt the corner of his mouth tug up into a lazy smile, "I'm starting to think that you don't like accepting help from anyone because you're pretty _lousy_ at saying 'thank you'..."

Anger flashed across her face before she appeared a little amused. She rolled her eyes at him, "Just be careful."

He bit his lip as he began to back away, "Like I said, I will."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

"...Carl was on the smaller side when he was born, too. Not as small as her but… for a full term baby he was. And I had ah' emergency c-section too, so if you need any help with anything then just ask. I'm not sure how much help I can offer but I'll try my best"

It was clear that Lori was trying to make Michonne feel comfortable, and she appreciated the other woman's efforts but the air between them was still so painfully awkward that Michonne almost didn't know what to do with herself. She matched her polite tone as she said, "Thank you. That means a lot."

Lori began to nod her head as she looked around the kitchen area, but then turned back as if she remembered something, "And about Rick's mom… Let me be the first to tell you that we don't all have the same thoughts"

It was Michonne's turn to look away, "Well, I didn't think that was the case"

"I just wanted to make that clear... She's never had that kind of influence on Carl because Rick and I wouldn't have allowed it", Lori insisted diplomatically, "And Rick… Well, Rick is a great man and he's a good man, but he can be a little… I don't want to say _stupid_ but, let's just say aloof"

Michonne was tickled by her honesty, "He would have to be to not know that his mother would have a problem with me"

" _Yeah_ …", Lori looked as though she wanted to scoff, but quickly tried to be reasonable, "In his defense… stuff like that was never really out in the open around here¬ In fact it was very discreet. No one ever openly admitted to disliking anyone or anything, but it was there… If someone came to town that wasn't from around here then, trust me, everyone knew. They'd stare so much that they'd end up walking into something…"

Michonne thought about her first encounter with Rick's mother, "Yeah"

Lori gave her an apologetic look that swiftly changed to something more enthusiastic, "Nowadays… I think attitudes have changed a lot… especially because more people have been passing through here and setting up homes here, but there are still people like Gayle here. I'd be lying to you if I said there weren't"

Michonne sighed deeply, "I think it's better if we just keep a friendly distance from each other"

"I agree, but… don't be surprised if Rick still tries with her. They actually had a great relationship before so when he stops being mad, I think he's going to want her to encourage her to¬"

"Hey!", Both women heard Glenn's sneakers squeaking down the hall before he appeared in by the door way, "Uh¬ Can you guys help with Otis? He's in a lot of pain¬ I don't know what to do"

Lori and Michonne shared a brief look of uncertainty, then followed the younger male out the kitchen and into the waiting area. Carl had ventured out of one of the other rooms when he heard the commotion and followed behind his mother like an eager puppy.

Otis was stretched out across the bench with his foot elevated on some cushions and an ice pack on either side to bring him some relief but the heavy set man still looked in dire need of assistance. His skin was pale and covered in beads of sweat. His breathing was shallow and he could hardly open his eyes. Rick's mother was sitting across from him, flicking through a booklet frantically as she muttered to herself.

"How's the cut on his foot doing?", Lori asked as she made her way closer, "Carl, stay back please"

Michonne looked down at the boy just as he looked up at her, and she gave him a little reassurance, "Just incase. He doesn't look too good"

Carl's lovely blue eyes widened with alert as he asked quietly, "...Like the sick people at the hospital?"

Michonne's expression mimicked his. She didn't think for even a moment that he could be sick too, especially since he'd only suffered a foot and hand injury. She looked towards Glenn, "You said you guys were at the hospital, right?"

Glenn tore his gaze away from his boss, "Uh, ye-yeah. We were, but we didn't get to see a doctor or anything?"

Michonne bit her lip for a short moment, "...What happened when you were there? Did you come into contact with any of those people?"

Glenn immediately looked panicked, "Uh, we did, a few times… they were everywhere¬ why? Do you think we're sick, too?"

"I don't know¬ I don't know how it spreads but…", Michonne looked back at Otis, "...I don't think he's meant to look like that just because you hit him with a hammer and his foot was run over"

Lori looked back at Michonne, "You're right. He's burning up and slurring his words¬ maybe it's an infection or something?"

"...Well then they must have antibiotics here, right?", Glenn looked from one woman to another, "Should I look?"

"...Um", Michonne could tell that he was desperate to help any way that he could, so she had already wracked her brain for any first aid training she received in her early teaching days. She stared at Otis until she was struck with a thought, "Is his foot hot?"

Lori nodded her head as she moved one of the ice-packs to see his foot, then immediately grimace, "He does feel hot"

Michonne plucked up the courage to get closer. She used to think she had an iron stomach, but not after witnessing a person dine on another humans torso, "And it's still swollen?"

"It is"

"Okay then maybe he needs an anti-inflammatory and some biotics", She looked at Glenn, "And another ice-pack from the kitchen"

Glenn looked relieved to do something, "Got it"

"Wouldn't it be better if we waited for a trained medical person to get here…", Rick's mother finally spoke. She set the booklet down on the chair beside her and stood up arms crossed across her chest, "Someone who knows what they're doing?"

Michonne refused to look in the older women's direction, and she didn't have to because Lori was the only person to answer her, "We've got to help him, Gayle. He's in a lot of pain and¬ besides, we don't even know if any one's coming back over here"

"Well not everyone would feel comfortable having just anyone making decisions for their health", Gale expressed sourly, "You should ask him first if he wants that"

Michonne was planning to ignore whatever the woman said, but she'd left her passive aggressive attitude at the hospital, "If you're not helping then leave. Now."

Gale's reaction was pure shock. Her thin lips twisted one way and the other as she voiced a complaint to Lori, "...If I am forced to share the same space with the people that my son has brought in off the street, then I will not tolerate being spoken to that way, Lori"

"If you're not helping…", Michonne repeated firmly, "...Then _leave_ now."

Gale looked down at Lori as if she expected her ex-daughter in law to do something, but Lori simply reiterated Michonne's command with a softer approach, "Maybe you should go and set yourself up in one of the rooms, Gale. We're going to try and help him as best we can."

Gale scoffed as she gave Lori the same disgusted look that she'd given Michonne. She muttered something insulting under her breath as she left the room in a huff.

"...Now let me check his hand", Michonne started to crouch down but Lori put her hand out to stop her.

"The fact that you're on your feet is bad enough, so let's not make it worse", The brunette shook her head at her, "Just tell me what to look for and I'll do the dirty work"

Michonne reluctantly straightened up, "Swelling or like… a build-up of fluid¬ I think those are bad signs."

"Um…", Lori lifted his hand up and it was immediately clear that his knuckles were swollen, "...Yeah"

"Well, we can give him the medicine and see if it helps? Worse case scenario; it doesn't help at all", Michonne ran her hands over her face as she slowly turned around. She froze when she saw that Carl was still standing nearby. He had a face like thunder when he looked away from the adults.

It dawned on her that he probably didn't want to see someone snap at his grandmother the way that she did. It was bad enough that they were hiding her daughter's true identity to him, but she didn't want to make matters worse. She wanted him to like her, after all.

Glenn retrieved the supplies and they were able to give Oscar some medicine to ease his pain. Whether they were the right amount, they didn't know, but they had to try. Glenn moved him to one of the doctor's rooms at the end of the hall to lay down, while Michonne finally took the chance to rest her own feet.

The thought of sleeping crossed her mind but she didn't think she could. She didn't think she should. She was sick with worry for her family and friends back in Atlanta and almost regretted leaving in the first place. Her step-mother would be just as frightened as she was. Her father would do his best to keep them calm while trying to take the lead, but the pressure might put such a strain on his already weakened heart.

She thought of Sasha and Andrea, and even Edith, her most prized student. And at the tail end of her thoughts was Mike.

Sleep crept up on her, and she only realized that she had dozed off when she almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of a door slamming. She immediately looked at the incubator and saw that her newborn was still sound asleep under the blue light, so she moved from the bed to investigate, and made sure to shut the door behind her.

Rick's voice traveled through the halls before she saw him. She also smelt him before she saw him too; blood's metallic scent filled the waiting room and it made her stomach turn.

He and Daryl were covered in blood, but it was clear that it wasn't there's. Their clothes were heavily stained but weren't ripped. Disheveled, at the most. Daryl set some plywood boards against the receptionist desk and they hurried in and out the building, bringing in a massive haul with help from Glenn.

Michonne placed herself on the other side of Lori and Carl as she watched them. She had no idea where Gayle was and she didn't care. She whispered to Lori, "What time is it?"

Lori glanced at her, then down at her wristwatch, "Almost one…"

"The night's not even over", Michonne crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not even close", Lori ran her hands over her face as if she were trying to wake herself up, "We'll let them get this place secure, then get some rest"

Rick carried in the last duffle bag of supplies while Glenn shut and locked the door behind him. Daryl panted as he threw himself down on the bench, but paused when he saw the blood on one of the seats, "...Somethan' happen here?"

"Yeah. Otis.", Glenn replied as he slid down to the ground against the door, "He's okay now"

Rick wiped his damp brow with the back of his hand as his cold blue eyes darted back and forth from Lori to Michonne. His voice was husky, "Everythan' alright?"

They nodded in unison.

He stared at them for a moment more before motioning towards their haul, "...We're gonna board up the windows… found a few more locks to put on the doors, some lamps, flashlights¬ and we need to keep noise to a minimum. Same with the lights¬"

"Why are you covered in blood?", Carl piped up. He kept looking his father from head to toe.

Rick froze, then peered down at himself, "...Uh, we just helped out a few people that were hurt. We're fine"

Michonne didn't believe that, but luckily his son did.

"Maybe you should take a break before you start boarding up the place", Lori suggested as she ran her hand over Carl's chestnut hair.

"I need somethan' to drink…", Daryl muttered tiredly, then lazily got off his seat.

Lori motioned behind her, "I made some hot dogs… nothing special just warmed them up in the¬"

"Fine by me", Daryl muttered again.

Having Rick back in the building made Michonne feel so relieved that she considered it embarrassing. She retreated to her new room when the men began preparing to put the boards on the windows and Lori forced her son to get ready for bed.

Staying in a medical center wasn't too bad because it was clean, warm and the furniture was almost comfortable, but it was a constant reminder that the town was falling apart around them.

They could still hear the occasional commotion outside, whether it was a cry for help, a speeding car or a gunshot; they heard it. On top of that, they had to endure constant drilling and hammering for an hour or so, which only made Michonne more nervous because Rick said himself that they had to keep noise to a minimum.

"Is she asleep?", He asked sheepishly as he ventured into her room with some plywood under his arm and tools in the other.

"She is…", Michonne sat up on the bed and eyed his materials, "...Not for much longer, I take it?"

"This is the last room", He set the wood down against the wall as he walked up the incubator, "Did she eat again?"

"About two hours ago", She couldn't help but notice how transfixed he was becoming with his daughter; a small, content smile would appear on his face the moment he looked at her. Michonne swung her legs off of the bed as she asked the question, "...What do you think of the name Elodie?"

Rick looked back at her and repeated it, " _Elodie_?"

"Yeah. I saw it in a book a while ago and… that's the only one that's kinda' stuck with me."

His eyes warmed as his gaze sailed away from her, "Elodie…"

"...Well, it's just a suggestion¬"

"I like it", He looked back down at the infant and said it again, "It's a pretty name for a pretty girl"

"Great. Elodie it is", Michonne began to smile, but stopped when her attention fell on his bloodstained clothes, "What happened out there?"

He took his time to turn around and face her, "...Everythan' we saw at the hospital is spilling out into the streets… The town was no different. People were rushing to get what they can…It's why we have to secure this place. When those stores are out of stuff then people are gonna' start looking elsewhere."

Michonne bit the inside of her cheek as she considered what that meant, "...And you still haven't heard anything from… anyone?"

He peered behind her as though the thought hadn't crossed his mind, "Nothing. Nothing at all"

It wasn't the answer she was hoping to hear, but she knew to expect it. Not knowing what the future held was a frightening reality to accept and a horrible state to exist in, but there was nothing they could do about it for the moment. Besides, there was an elephant in the room that he wasn't aware of, "...I had a little problem with your mom earlier"

Rick's head spun around quickly, "A problem?"

"She was throwing comments around when we were trying to help Otis", She summarized briefly, "So I told her to leave…"

"Yeah?", Rick didn't move much, but she did see his top lip twitch.

She got to the point, "Your son was there and I don't think he was happy about me talking to her the way that I did"

His head tilted upward as if he finally understood what the problem was, "Right."

"Yeah. I don't want to upset him or anything, so I was wondering if I should say something to him? If you think that would help?"

"Uh…", Rick reached up and scratched his beard as he looked around the room, "I think it might be better if I talked to him. There are some thangs that I need to explain to him… and I think the only way I can do that is by letting him know who you are...and who Elodie is"

And just like that, the name stuck. Her daughter was named Elodie. She slowly nodded her head as she agreed, "If you think it's the right time to that then, yeah. Okay"

"...Maybe I can ask his mother to join… and you, if you're feeling up to it?"

Michonne blinked at him. She didn't think that would be a good idea at all, "How about you and Lori talk to him first, then we can all sit down together after? He's a big brother, and not because of you and his mom… That's going to be a tough pill to swallow"

"Yeah…", Rick seemed to recognize her doubts as he peered back down at the incubator, "...Elodie Grimes"

"...Didn't realize we settled on her last name yet, but okay", Michonne muttered under her breath as she stood up, "I'm going to get some bottles ready"

"I can feed her this time, just let me get these boards up", Rick turned back towards the door so he could grab the piece of plywood that he set aside, but he froze as if he had seen something shocking, "...Carl"

Michonne tilted her head to see why he'd said his son's name, and sure enough, Carl was standing in the doorway, dressed in a pair of t-rex pajamas. The boy could have easily just appeared, but it was clear by the way that he was looking at the adults that he was in a shock of his own.

"...Uh", Rick glanced back at Michonne, "Why don't you come in here, son?"

Carl only hesitated for a second or two before he made his way towards his father at a snail's pace. Michonne wanted to leave, but Rick peered back at her from over his shoulder as though he were looking for reassurance, even though she'd made it clear that she shouldn't be apart of the talk. She started to inch her way out of the room anyway.

Rick placed his hand on his son's shoulder, "...Did you hear what we were talking about?"

Carl's gaze flickered towards the incubator, "...I heard what you called her..."

"I...", Rick adjusted his stance, "We decided to call her Elodie¬ Elodie _Grimes_ …because I'm her father, which means that she is your sister."

Carl's eyes widened, "...How?"

Michonne stopped her escape and bit her tongue as she wondered what Rick's reply would be to that. He seemed to struggle with his words, "Well, I… Uh, Michonne and I met some time ago and… and we liked each other, so we got to know each other and¬"

"She was a surprise", Michonne spat the words from her mouth in a bid to stop Rick from going into too much detail, "She was a surprise baby."

Cark raised his eyebrows at her, then directed his question at his father, "A _surprise_ baby?"

"Yeah… She was a surprise, son", Rick carried on the tale, "But we were happy about her, and we were going to talk to you about it sooner but it just…I wanted to try and¬"

"I was moving", Michonne spat out another filler for Rick to use.

"Uh, yeah. Michonne wanted to move down here so we wanted to get thangs together and... we were really just waiting for the right time… a time where we could sit down with you and talk to you about this properly so we knew how you felt about it all"

Rick's cut and paste explanation didn't seem to bring any understanding to his son. If anything, Carl looked even more confused. He furrowed his little eyebrows as he asked, "...Does mom know?"

"She does. She knows.", Rick kept his eyes on his son, "Look, I'm sorry you had to find out like this but I'm glad to finally tell you because we really wanted you to know... How are you feeling?"

His son seemed to be completely dumbfounded; he didn't stop staring at Elodie, and he picked a good time to do so because she had started to wake from her brief slumber. She stretched her delicate little arms in the air as though she were trying to take off flying. Carl seemed mildly annoyed, "...Mom sent me here to say goodnight… So, goodnight"

It was a blunt way to bring the conversation to an end, and it was apparent that Rick wasn't sure how to respond because he ended up repeating himself, "Uh, alright… Alright, uh, _yeah_. Bed. You should get some rest. Yeah. Alright"

"Yeah...Goodnight", Michonne offered a little pathetically.

Carl took one final look at the incubator before turning around and leaving the room with a lot most haste than when he entered. Rick stared at the doorway long after his son left, and just when Michonne thought that she'd have to give him a good shake, he declared regretfully, "Well, I don't think that could have gone worse".


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I am not going to bore you guys with some long-winded note about why it took me months to update again - I have had too much shit to deal with, so I haven't been able to keep up with the writing. Things have finally calmed over here so I was able to get some updates going. **I am so sorry** that it took this long and I am so sorry that I didn't say anything sooner. I hope you enjoy the updates, but if not then feel free to drag me because I deserve it. **Love** you all!

\- Bae

Chapter Ten:

Michonne sighed as she eyed her cesarean stitches in the bathroom mirror. The scar was looking better with each passing day, and she didn't feel as tender as she had done so she took that as a sign that she was healing just fine, and she didn't have to stay held up in her room any longer.

When she was done in the bathroom, she grabbed her dirty clothes and stepped into the quiet hallway. It was early in the morning, and she was sure everyone was still asleep but she liked being the first one up because she got to use the bathroom first. She crept back into her room, careful not to wake Elodie or Rick; he had fallen asleep in a chair beside the incubator after giving Elodie one of her late night feeds. Michonne was going to insist that he found a bed to sleep in but she knew that he wouldn't listen.

She checked on Elodie before she left the room and was pleased to see the infant was still fast asleep, but being quite the active sleeper, she would dig her feet into the bedding and push her little butt into the air until she was comfortable. When she was awake, she was fiercely alert, and the stronger she grew, the more she moved around. Michonne was afraid that she'd soon be strong enough to break out of the incubator all on her own.

She headed to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich before it was time to express her milk, but when she stepped into the room, she learned that she wasn't the only person awake.

"Morning", Glenn greeted with a full mouth of cereal. He was sat at the table with a gun nearby.

"Morning", She called back quietly as she made a beeline for the refrigerator.

"...You're up early?"

"I usually am… What are you doing up?"

"...Otis wasn't feeling too good last night", Glen explained, "I haven't really slept… Been keeping an eye on him"

"How's he doing?"

Glenn shrugged as he dropped his spoon in the bowl, "I think he's just getting worse… We tried to double up on the antibiotics but he can't even take them anymore… I think he's dying…"

"Really?", Michonne stopped what she was doing to look at him.

"Yeah", Glenn appeared downcast, "I thought we could try and get him to a hospital again but…"

"I don't think that's an option anymore", She sighed as she leaned back on the counter.

"...You think it's like this everywhere? I mean, it can't be. There must be somewhere¬ they must have seen what was going on here and started to prepare themselves somehow"

Michonne wanted to believe him, "Yeah. I'd hope so."

Glenn eyed her for a few moments, "You came from Atlanta, right?"

"I did"

"Don't they have the CDC up there?", Glenn rested his forearms on the table, "We heard some guys in uniform talking about it when we in the hospital… Said they were heading there if things got out of control"

Michonne crossed her arms over her chest as she thought about it, "They might not be taking everybody in though… but they might know something?"

"Exactly. We might be able to go up there and find out… they might be able to help Otis, too", Glenn pushed, "And they'd have a better supply than we got here so your baby would be okay"

The thought of having to move Elodie from one place to another made Michonne uncomfortable.

Glenn must have seen that so he quickly added, "I mean, not now but… Maybe soon?"

"...Maybe. It doesn't sound like a bad idea…", She replied honestly, "We can talk about it with the others and see what they think…"

When Carl appeared at the kitchen door she unwillingly froze. The boy hadn't said much to her since he discovered the truth about Elodie, and even though both of his parents had since sat down and spoken with him about the situation, he still hadn't come around to the idea and Michonne was sure of that because he kept his distance. If Lori came into their room to see Elodie then Carl would go elsewhere. If he wanted his father then he'd call him from down the hall instead of coming to find him.

Michonne wished he wouldn't feel like he couldn't cross the threshold anymore.

When Carl saw the two adults he lowered his gaze and shuffled towards the refrigerator as he mumbled, "Hey"

"Hey Carl", Glenn greeted cheerfully as he started tucking into his cereal again, "You sleep alright?"

"Yeah", He replied.

Michonne pushed off the counter as she watched what he was doing, trying to see if there was something she could comment on to strike up a conversation, "...I was going to try and make some french toast, would you like some?"

Carl glanced at her, then politely declined, "No thank you..."

She wasn't going to give up that easily, "...Well, it's not regular french toast… I use french toast crunch as well…"

Her recipe caught Glenn's attention instead of Carl's, "Really? Can I get a slice?"

Michonne tried not to side-eye the man, "Sure… What about you Carl?"

The boy glanced at her again, and Michonne sensed some hesitation but he ultimately said, "No, it's okay."

It wasn't the answer she was hoping for but she took solace in the fact that he didn't shoot her down harshly. She kept her tone friendly when said, "Alright. Maybe next time."

Knowing that Glenn was still expecting to have some of her special breakfast, she got started on the meal and made enough so that the others could help themselves, including Carl, in case he changed his mind.

When she was done she took two slices back to the room for Rick; she figured it was the least she could do since he was spreading himself thin trying to take care of everybody, including her.

She knew Elodie was awake before she even got close to the incubator; she saw her scrawny arms and legs kicking out, fighting the air. Rick had woken up when he heard her enter the room so he sat forward and rubbed his eyes with both palms as he said in a groggy voice, "What time is it?"

"I don't know", She held out the plate to him, "Here. Eat."

He looked up with a frown, then sat back as he took the plate from her, "Thank you"

"No problem", She stepped closer to the incubator.

"...I take it Lori's already cooking up a storm in the kitchen"

"No, I don't know if she's up. I made breakfast."

Rick held a piece of toast in his hand and inspected it, "Really?"

Michonne was beginning to take offense, "Yes. It's not that hard to do."

He began to smile, "...Did Carl tell you this was his favorite? He always used to beg his mother to make it for him every day...I thought this was his doing"

Michonne's heart sank in her chest. She'd unknowingly made the boys favorite breakfast but he so badly didn't want anything to do with her that he wouldn't even touch it. She sighed as she replied to Rick, "Well I made plenty so… maybe he'll help himself"

"He'll eat it all if he got the chance."

She highly doubted that but said nothing. Instead, she rubbed Elodie's stomach with two her fingers to let her know that her mother was there, but all that seemed to do is annoy the premature infant so Michonne stopped and muttered, "Nevermind."

Rick chuckled quietly as he chewed his food, "Last night… when I was done feeding her...I was telling her pretty she is and… she just… just looked me dead in the eye and yawned"

Michonne snickered as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Sounds like something she'd do"

"She's gonna' have a big personality…", Rick huffed, then spoke with some uncertainty as he said, "I was hoping to get Carl in here today. Maybe get him to feed her or somethan'..."

She glanced at him and said, "You don't think he'll come around when he's ready?"

"I do, but I just wanna' make sure that¬"

"Knock, knock", Lori said as she poked her head around the opened door, "Can I come in?"

"Sure, what's wrong?", Rick asked.

"Nothing, just wanted to say thank you for breakfast", Lori gave Michonne a small smile as she stepped a little closer into the room, "I saw it in the kitchen¬ Glenn was hovering over the plate so I'll get some when he's done"

"It's no problem", Michonne shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Lori's big brown eyes landed on the incubator and her smile broadened, "How's she doing?"

"She's doing great. She's in a good mood, too", Michonne said sarcastically, causing Rick to snigger and Lori to grin.

"Well, I'll stay over here then because I'm pretty sure I make her mood worse", Lori joked, then looked down at Rick as she said, "Daryl mentioned last night that the two of you were going out today?"

"Uh, yeah… probably around noon", He explained tiredly, "We're gonna' need more supplies¬"

Lori whipped a piece of paper out of her jeans pocket, "Here's a list"

He stared at her list, then looked up at her, "Were you waiting to take that out?"

"I figured you'd be going out soon so I was waiting for you to say something", His ex-wife shrugged, "Just some stuff for me and Carl. You can get it all at the general store so you don't have to go everywhere to find them"

"Right", Rick took the paper from her.

"I've highlighted the most _important_ things… Things that the women here need the most", Lori stressed the last part of her sentence.

"Understood."

"Thanks.", Lori turned towards the door, "I'll go put on some coffee"

Michonne watched his ex-wife leave, then said to him, "...You might need to see if there's something else out there you can get for Otis. I spoke to Glenn this morning and he said he's getting worse… He thinks he's dying"

"Yeah, he said somethan' like that yesterday", Rick lowered his plate to the ground and set it down between his feet, "...Daryl and I were talking about it and we think we might need to think about doing something"

"What?", Michonne asked naively, all while staring at him as she waited for an answer. When his silence finally made sense to her, she almost gasped, "You want to kill him?"

Rick clasped his hands together as he leaned on his knees, "We might have to… Otherwise, he might come back like everyone else"

"He wasn't attacked though", She frowned, "Isn't that how it spreads?"

"He was at the hospital. He might be contaminated… and it would explain why he got this way so quickly"

Michonne stepped back towards the bed and plopped down.

"...We can't risk him turning into one of those thangs in here. We got too many people to worry about", Rick glanced at the incubator, "It's the only way"

He had a point. They had children in the clinic that they had to protect and she knew that, but she didn't like the idea of killing Otis without being certain that he was infected. She thought back to an earlier conversation and said, "Glenn said he overheard someone talking about the CDC when they were at the hospital"

Rick slowly nodded his head, "Yeah, he told us… I've been thinking about that, actually"

"And?"

"And… It could be worth a shot, but I'd wanna go check it out first. I don't wanna' move you unless I know we're going somewhere safe, and somewhere with power. We've got a good set up here because I know how to refill those generators when they start running low. We're on a quiet street and we haven't seen anyone around here for the last two days… We need to be sure that we're moving on to somethan' better if we do move".

Michonne agreed with him and she indicated that by nodding her head as she looked away from him, "Yeah."

Rick continued to look her in silence for a moment, then asked, "What do you think about it?"

She bit the inside of her cheek for a second, "I think you're right. We need to check it out first."

He appeared reassured, "Yeah. We'll do that then… Maybe sometime this week; the sooner the better."

Michonne would have never expected Rick to be the type of person that needed any kind of reassurance because he had been quite certain in every move he made since the outbreak began. She stood up as she said, "Well I'm going to get a bottle ready before¬"

Elodie wailed faintly as if she had heard and understood her mother's words.

"Right on time", Rick joked as he picked up his plate again, all while indiscreetly looking her from head to toe. Michonne pretended as if she didn't notice but he then went on to say, "You're looking well"

She slowly turned her head back to face him, then peered down at herself; she was wearing a grey, oversized sweatshirt and a pair of loose fitting jeans, both courtesy of the lost and found box. She raised her eyebrow at him.

He smirked, obviously feeling awkward, "I meant that you look like you're getting back to your old self… _health_ wise, that is"

"Oh", She nodded her head, "Well, thanks… I'm getting there."

"You'd look great in anythan' so…", His second compliment was made under his breath, but Michonne still heard it clearly.

She frowned out of instinct, but the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile when she turned away from him.

The clinic came alive throughout the rest of the morning and everyone found something to do; Rick, Daryl, and Glenn spoke about their impending trip into town, while Lori busied herself by going over medicines and finding their uses in the medical books. Carl followed his mother wherever she went with his nose in a comic book, and the boy's grandmother kept far away far away from all of them.

Michonne had only seen her a small handful of times since their first confrontation; every time since then was an accident, and neither of them acknowledged each other. She knew that Rick had spoken to her since she had heard him do so. He words were always short but firm. They hadn't spoken about her since but Michonne had a feeling that they would have to at one point because he was a man that liked to exercise reason, and she wouldn't particularly care if he did start to speak with her properly again, as long as the woman stayed away from herself and Elodie.

Once her daughter had drifted back to sleep again, Michonne took it upon herself to take a look around the rest of the building. She hadn't been on the two upper floors because she hadn't had any reason too, but after a little exploring she found that the first floor had more rooms like her own and the top floor had three offices and another faculty room.

She peered around the office and saw a window facing the street, so decided she would take a look at the neighborhood; Rick was right. The streets were empty and the homes surrounding them looked undisturbed. She knew that a lot of residents had packed up and left but she figured that some might stay behind. She didn't want to believe that they were completely alone.

It was just as she began to turn around that she heard, what sounded like, a collision. She looked back through the window and tried to look up and down the street but she saw nothing at first, but seconds later a black cloud drifted up to the sky from behind one of the homes. She listened for any more noise but she knew she wouldn't hear anything from where she stood, so she abandoned her view and left the room.

"I can't see anythan'...", Rick was peering through a space between the plywood over the windows when Michonne walked into the waiting room.

"Probably nothing", Daryl said from the other window as he too looked through a gap in the plywood.

"It was a crash", Michonne announced, "I saw smoke- I think it was in the next street"

Rick looked back at her, "You saw?"

"From the top floor", She confirmed, "Someone might be injured or need help"

Glenn spoke up from his place on the counter, "What if they were attacked by one of the infected?"

"We won't know because we can't see from here", She turned her attention back to Rick, "They might be in trouble"

Rick clenched his jaw as he came away from the window, leading Michonne to think that he wasn't that motivated to help. She looked at the others and saw that they didn't look anymore moved than he did.

"...We should help them if we can help them", Michonne said a little firmly, "It's the right thing to do. There's nobody else out there¬ you said yourself; we haven't seen anyone here for days"

Rick still clenched his jaw as he looked at her and set his hands at his sides. She couldn't believe that he was hesitating, especially because Daryl had helped Glen and Otis, and Evelyn had helped them get Elodie to saftey, too. It was their turn to return the favor to someone else.

He looked at Daryl, then Glenn as he said, "We'll check it out"

Lori and Carl joined them in the waiting room just as the men prepared to leave. Even if nothing came of their impromptu mission then Michonne could accept they at least tried to do something.

She closed the door behind them when they left then immediately went to the window to see them off properly. Lori joined her and said, "Hopefully everyone's alright…"

"Yeah", Michonne agreed under her breath.

"Maybe if they do find people then¬", Lori's sentence came to an abrupt end when there was a crash from inside the building.

Both women looked at each other, then behind them to the hallway. Carl inched closer to the counter as he too looked down the hall. Michonne left her spot first and Lori was right behind her.

Michonne looked in her own room when they passed it but nothing was amiss, so they carried on until they heard some clatter from the end of the hall. Rick's mother stepped out of the kitchen appearing frightened, with a spatula in one hand and clutching her pearls with the other. She said timid whisper, "Lori, what's going on?"

"Carl, wait here", Lori issued sternly as they slowed down.

Michonne listen closely, knowing that the racket was coming from Otis's room; she heard something tumbling around and what sounded like groaning. She and Lori stopped outside the door and looked at each other one more time.

"...Otis?", Michonne called gently, then knocked on the door three times, but on the third knock, the door shook as if Otis had thrown himself against it.

As soon as she heard him growling, she knew. Lori jumped back with a gasp, "Oh my, God!"

"Mom!", Carl called in a panic from down the hall.

Their noise only made Otis growl louder. Michonne held the door handle to keep it closed, and whispered, "He's changed"

Lori's rosy cheeks were as white as sheet, "We need to call them back"

"They're probably not even on this street anymore", Michonne thought hard as she placed her other hand against the wall to brace herself, "We need to do it"

"What?!", Lori hissed, "We can't¬ He's infected¬"

"And if he gets out of here then we're all infected", Michonne could feel the door trembling through the handle, "We have to!"

"How! He's a large man¬ we can't stop him!"

Lori was right. Otis wasn't a small man at all and Neither of them could hold him off if they had to. Michonne huffed and puffed as she tried to think of a plan that could actually work, then realized she was holding their only option, "We use the door; one of us holds and the other gets a knife¬"

" _What_?!"

"If I open it enough then he'll try to get through, then you use the knife and go for the head"

Lori looked at Michonne as though she'd grown an extra head, "I¬I can't, I've never done anything like this before¬"

"Fine, you hold the door and I'll stab him", Michonne was fearful that he'd somehow open the door before they were ready, "But we need to do it now!"

Lori began to pant out loud, her eyes darting all over the place. It took a moment, but she finally said, "Okay, okay, okay, let's do it"

The brunette ran to fetch a knife from the kitchen while Michonne geared herself up to act. She wasn't ready to carry out her own plan but she had no choice; Carl and Elodie were only a few feet away from Otis. They had to protect them.

Lori returned with the knife and they switched places. Michonne got as close as she could to the doorframe and said, "Put your feet on either side of the door so you can hold it properly… he might try to pull it open"

Lori nodded her head automatically, causing a few strands to fall on her damp forehead.

Michonne took several deep breaths, then said, "Ready?"

Lori nodded again, "...Now!"

She turned the handle and allowed it to open by just a few inches but that was all it took; Otis swollen fingers clasped at the door, then his swollen face appeared in the gap. A dark, tar-like substance poured from his mouth and his pearl-like eyes widened when he saw them. Michonne placed one of her hands over Lori's to help keep the door shut, then raised the seven-inch blade high into the air.

She aimed downward and sank it in his eye socket because she was too afraid she couldn't break through his skull on the first try. Blood spewed through the air and splattered across her face and chest, but the growling immediately stopped, and all either woman could hear was the other one panting.

Michonne didn't get a chance to pull the knife away because Otis fell to the floor, taking the blade with him. Lori shut the door and they both stood in front of it with wide, panicked eyes.

"...Mom?", Carl called quietly. He had come a little closer but still stayed some distance from them.

Michonne wiped her face with the back of her hand as she breathed, "...We'll… We'll leave that for them"

"We should", Lori agreed with trembling hands, "...We... We should."

Nothing had prepared Michonne for the shock that came with killing someone. What sounded simple enough in theory, was actually on the verge of traumatizing. She knew it had to be done and she was glad that they were able to do it, but she was so shaken up that she made a mad dash for the bathroom and scrubbed his blood away.

Otis had a family. She knew that he did because Glenn had told her so. He had a wife and children who were probably worried sick about him if they hadn't met a similar end to him. She felt awful for him and she hated to be the one to end his life.

But someone had to do it, and she knew she had to accept that. It may have been a sorrowful first, but she knew it wouldn't be her last.

The clinic was deathly quiet after that. Rick's mother had taken to the waiting room with Lori and Carl while Michonne expressed her milk alone in her room. Elodie had woken up and she was glad for the distraction because she couldn't shake the sight of a re-animated Otis from her mind. The thought crossed her mind the anyone that she knew and loved could be in the same state and she felt sick to her stomach, so kept herself busy.

The more she had to do, the less time she had to imagine such things.

She had a bottle prepared in her hand when she heard a commotion from the front of the building and knew that Rick and the others were back, so she set it on top of the incubator and left to find out the news from their short trip.

She knew they didn't return alone before she even saw them because she could hear murmured voices and multiple feet shuffling around. They had brought back whoever they saved and she expected that, but she didn't expect to walk in the room and recognize the faces.

"Oh my God!", Her mother gasped as soon as her dark eyes saw Michonne. She looked worn out, her turquoise shirt torn at the shoulder and her capri pants filthy, but there was no mistaking that it was Jacqui.

Michonne was stunned into stillness, but as soon as the older woman surged forward and wrapped her arms around her, she fell apart.

"We were so worried about you!", Her mother sobbed, "I can't believe it!"

Michonne was still too stunned to talk but held on to her just as tightly as Jacqui held her. Her eyes filled with tears so quickly that she had to blink them away to see past her mother's shoulder; Andrea wasn't far behind, standing by the counter with a sad look of joy on her face, her white blouse ripped and dirty too. They both looked as though they'd been to hell and back.

"I'm so glad you're okay", Her mother whispered tenderly as she used her hand to stroke Michonne's locks, "...That's all your father wanted to know"

Michonne's eyes widened as she looked for the man her mother mentioned; all of a sudden there were too many faces in the room and she just couldn't see the one she was looking for. It took several laps for it to dawn on her that he wasn't there, but the face that did catch her attention was one she thought she would never see again; her husbands.


End file.
